GREAT FALLS — MacKenzie Scott has donated at least $1 million to three tribal colleges in Montana, university officials said.
Scott, formerly married to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, announced this week that she had donated $4.2 billion in the last four months to 384 organizations across the U.S.
Richard Littlebear, president of Chief Dull Knife College, told the Great Falls Tribune that Scott donated $1 million.
Sandra Boham, president of Salish Kootenai College, said she would not disclose the specific amount of Scott’s donation but that the funds will help the school provide affordable housing and professional development training for students.
“I don’t know if MacKenzie Scott realizes how incredible this is for our college,” Boham said. “If I could, I would grab her and hug her. Institutions like ours, we don’t usually get the kind of donations she’s making.”
The president of Blackfeet Community College, Karla Bird, did not respond to a request for comment by the newspaper.
Tribal colleges receive most of their revenue from federal funding that allocates up to $8,000 for each American Indian beneficiary student, according to the Montana Budget and Policy Center report.