MacKenzie Scott Donates $20 Million To Major Nashville Institution
By Sarah Tate
March 16, 2022
A major institution in Nashville recently received one of its biggest donations, and it's all thanks to a philanthropic billionaire.
MacKenzie Scott, former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has spent much of the past few years giving away her enormous fortune to hundreds of charities and organizations and Meharry Medical College in Nashville was recently on the receiving end of her generosity.
According to News Channel 5, Scott announced Tuesday (March 15) she was donating $20 million to the historically Black institution, one of the largest donations in the school's history.
"This gift is a testament to the positive impact Meharry has had on global healthcare for more than 146 years, and a significant opportunity we have to meaningfully address health disparities and advance health equity in this moment of enormous change in our nation and in our world," said Dr. James E.K. Hildreth, president and CEO of Meharry Medical College.
We're excited to announce author and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has made a generous contribution of $20 million to Meharry Medical College to support our efforts in addressing health disparities and health inequities nationwide. https://t.co/W3vcCEyaJX pic.twitter.com/8tFpDBcZQe
— Meharry Medical College (@MeharryMedical) March 15, 2022
Dr. Hildreth thanked Scott for the massive donation and spoke about how it will impact the medical school's future.
"This gift now allows Meharry to invest time and money to expand our academic programs and much-needed infrastructure improvements," said Hildreth.
According to WKRN, the donation will go toward advancing the institution's vision of health equity and producing diverse health care professionals, among other goals.