Philanthropist and novelist MacKenzie Scott has made a $27 million gift to Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in South Los Angeles, it was announced Friday.
The award marks the second gift Scott has made to the university, one of the nation’s four historically Black medical schools and a member of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, according to school officials, who said Scott donated $20 million in 2022 — the largest private donation in the school’s history at the time.
“This gift marks a tremendous boost to our momentum and accelerates our trajectory toward becoming a larger, stronger institution,” Dr. David Carlisle, president and chief executive of CDU, said in a statement. “Ms. Scott’s generosity affirms our mission, reflects her trust in our work, and inspires us to keep advancing as we embark on our 60th anniversary.”
Since 2020, Scott’s philanthropic efforts have included donations to public and private institutions, with an emphasis on historically Black colleges and universities.
“Support like this extends far beyond the CDU campus and beyond this moment,” John Baackes, chair of CDU’s Board of Trustees said. “It exemplifies Ms. Scott’s leadership in advancing the equitable distribution of wealth and inspiring a new generation of philanthropists.”
Scott, 55, was married to Jeff Bezos, the co-founder of Amazon, from 1993 to 2019. In 2006, Scott won an American Book Award for her 2005 debut novel, “The Testing of Luther Albright.” Her second novel, “Traps,” was published in 2013.