Five years after Giving Pledge signatory MacKenzie Scott awarded a total of $55 million to Morehouse and Spelman colleges and Clark Atlanta University (CAU), the schools have leveraged those funds to bolster a wide range of existing programs and solidify long-term goals, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.
Scott awarded the unsolicited “no-strings-attached” gifts to Atlanta’s top-tier historically Black colleges and universities in the wake of the racial reckoning that followed the murder of George Floyd in 2020. Morehouse and Spelman colleges each received $20 million and CAU $15 million. Morehouse allocated its gift to the development of a 58,000-square-foot campus center to serve as a hub for innovation, collaboration, and community. Estimated to cost $80 million when complete, the project has raised an additional $25 million since Scott’s gift.
Spelman directed $11 million of its gift to its endowment. In 2020, the school awarded $3,500 directly to every student and used $1.1 million as a match for its Social Justice Scholars program. The remaining funds supported technology upgrades and academic programming. CAU directed $10 million to its endowment as a long-term hedge to better insulate the school’s finances. In addition, CAU invested $3 million to bolster its W.E.B. Du Bois Southern Center for Studies in Public Policy, $1.5 million in support of its Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurial Development, and $500,000 to fund full-tuition scholarships for students attending from Atlanta public schools.
According to the Journal Constitution, none of the three schools has received direct feedback about how the gifts were used but noted the support has proven instrumental in driving increased donations. “One of the most significant indirect effects of Ms. Scott’s gift has been its catalytic impact on our fundraising efforts,” said CAU president George T. French, Jr.
“It was refreshing to see a donor who really genuinely wants to help organizations without having any restrictions,” said Morehouse chief advancement officer Hodan Hassan, “[Scott’s gift] really built the confidence for other philanthropists that Morehouse is worth the investment.”
