OPINIONS: Follow The Money
Where is MacKenzie Scott’s Donation?
Everyone loves money, but not everyone agrees on how it should be spent.
Philanthropist Mackenzie Scott gave millions to Clark Atlanta University in 2020 and again in 2026.
Chauncey Hooks, a third-year scholar at CAU, is one of many students with an opinion on how the school spends its money. Students have noticed improvements across campus since the donation.
“We got an e-Sports room in T. Cole. They also made some improvements on the Wi-Fi since I’ve been here,” said Hooks. “I think most of the money should go to building more dorms, and maybe even possibly better security,” Hooks continued.
Many students, like Hooks, are still curious about Scott’s original donation. They wonder how it has impacted Clark Atlanta University nearly six years later.
Who Is MacKenzie Scott?
MacKenzie Scott married Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in 1993 and helped launch the company in 1994. Scott's 2019 divorce settlement awarded her a 4% stake in Amazon. After separating from Bezos, Scott signed The Giving Pledge and promised to give away most of her wealth.
In December 2020, Clark Atlanta University received a historic $20 million unrestricted donation from Scott. At this time, it was the largest private gift in the university’s history.
CAU said the money could help with academic programs, innovation, campus infrastructure, scholarships and the university’s endowment.
“It feels good when MacKenzie Scott can recognize our value and what we mean to the current and future state of higher education,” an excited George T. French Jr., Clark Atlanta’s president, said in a telephone interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Scott’s donation was also part of a larger wave of giving to Historically Black Colleges and Universities. She donated millions of dollars to HBCUs across the country, including Morehouse College, Spelman College, Howard University, and several other institutions.
Where is MacKenzie Scott's funding?
When larger donations like Scott’s are made to institutions, stakeholders naturally have questions about how the money is used.
“Whenever you receive large sums of donated money, sometimes it takes a while to be able to visually see the impact of those contributions. For instance, there may be a case where money is given in 2026, whereby the visible results may not be evident for a few years later,” CAU philosophy professor Larry Covin explains.
“It’s not like somebody is going to donate money on Monday and then Tuesday you see the results. So, it just depends on where the need is or where the needs are,” Covin adds.
University officials also note that it can take time for large donations to show results.
“Part of that money will go into some infrastructure. Part of that money will be used in the short term for immediate action, and part of that money will go into the endowment to be used in perpetuity to benefit university students forever,” said Christopher Lee, CAU Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.
“As far as impacting the strategic plan, it doesn't change our direction. It still makes us want to ensure that we're building the same foundations that are in the 2028 strategic plan. But what it does is it helps build that foundation with a lot more solid foundation,” he continued.
Still, some students want a clearer link between donations and changes they see on campus. Six years, they argue, is enough time to expect more visible results.
Lee points to the buzz as soon as the press release about the donation was out. “There were emails to many of us from parents and from students about when is that money going to be deployed and when does my school become free? It's unfortunately not going to make school free, but there will be an impact and improvement in the entire situation of many universities who receive these gifts, and as we get these monies deployed, we will be explaining how that works.”
Does Clark Atlanta feel the impact?
Clark Atlanta University has made a notable investment with its new Student Success Center. This facility opened in Fall 2026 and is the first major academic building in over 20 years.
But for some students, the impact of recent campus investments is still difficult to see in their day-to-day experience. Even with new buildings and upgrades, students still have some ongoing concerns.
“I mean, besides the new [Student Success Center] building, it’s not going to the students much. The food is still trash, very bad. I walked into the dorm on move-in day and had stuff already broken," said Verdereon English ‘29.
For Hooks, the full impact of campus investment may depend on what happens next, particularly with housing and student spaces and notes dorms are still being torn down and rebuilt.
The difference in how students view the university’s investments reflects a larger question about how to measure impact. While students can point to new facilities and improvements, those changes do not necessarily address every concern they have on campus.
Covin offers a fresh view. He says students and faculty may not have access to the info that administrators use for financial choices.
“It would be like the person in the crowd saying what they would do if they were the quarterback, right? They’re not in the game. They don’t understand the opposition or the strategies. So it’s easy to say from the crowd what they would do,” Covin said.
Funding for HBCUs
Questions surrounding Scott’s funding also stem from the donation's rarity. The gift was unrestricted. This means the university can choose how to use the funds. They are not tied to a specific project or grant requirement. For Clark Atlanta University, that flexibility gives the institution greater freedom to address its most pressing needs.
In a story from Clark Atlanta University about the 2025 funds, the university said it doesn't get large, multimillion-dollar gifts regularly or on a set schedule. Instead, major contributions like Scott’s represent rare, historic milestones for the institution.
Unrestricted funding is flexible, but it can confuse students about where the money goes. While the university can determine how the funds are allocated, students like Verdereon English question whether those priorities are reflected in what they see on campus.
“I mean, look at the President’s house. You don’t know where the unrestricted money is going. You know how much the president is making compared to scholarships on campus? He lives in a gated mansion across from ungated student housing. It’s distasteful,” English states.
Six years later
The impact of investment at Clark Atlanta University is indeed visible across campus. The new Student Success Center, the e-gaming room in T. Coleman, and the demolition and rebuilding of Bumstead Hall show that the university is changing. Also, continued expansion in the surrounding areas highlights this transformation.
But for students, the question of where Mackenzie Scott’s funding has gone is not always easy to answer. While students can point to new facilities and improvements, those changes do not necessarily address every concern they experience on campus.
As Clark continues to grow, students are left asking what comes next, and whether the university will continue investing in the aspects of campus life that shape it.
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