Show Howard University the money!

The legendary HBCU announced an $80 million unrestricted gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, one of the largest single donations in the school’s 158-year history. 

According to Howard's The Dig, the gift is split between $63 million to Howard University and $17 million to the Howard University College of Medicine, and officials say the funds give the university broad flexibility to advance its priorities.

Interim president Wayne A. I. Frederick thanked Scott and said the timing was critical. “On behalf of the entire Howard University community, I want to extend my deepest gratitude to Ms. MacKenzie Scott for her extraordinary generosity and steadfast belief in Howard University’s mission,” he said, adding the donation will “help support essential student aid, advance infrastructure improvements, and build a reserve fund to further sustain operational continuity, student success, academic excellence, and research innovation.” 

University leaders say the gift arrives as the school deals with federal funding delays tied to a government shutdown, and will help launch a temporary relief plan allowing students with overdue balances to defer payments without penalties.

Howard’s College of Medicine dean Andrea A. Hayes Dixon said the $17 million will accelerate plans for an expanded academic medical center and bolster medical education and health equity work. “This $17 million unrestricted gift will help accelerate the expansion of our new Academic Medical Center,” Hayes Dixon said, “which will enhance our ability to train future generations of physicians and health professionals while improving access to quality care for the patients and communities we serve.”