BOWIE, Md. — MacKenzie Scott’s latest round of transformative giving has made its way to Prince George’s County. Bowie State University was recently named among the recipients of a major donation from Scott’s philanthropic initiative, Yield Giving — part of her ongoing effort to fund organizations driving equity, education and opportunity.
The university received a $50 million unrestricted gift — the largest in its 160-year history. Combined with a $25 million gift Scott made in 2020, her total investment in Bowie State now totals $75 million.
Scott, the billionaire philanthropist and former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has given more than $19 billion to nearly 2,000 organizations through Yield Giving since 2020. But behind her public generosity is a quiet story of one small, private act of kindness that shaped her worldview — and ultimately, her giving philosophy.
In a personal essay posted to Yield Giving, Scott shared how she nearly dropped out of Princeton University as a sophomore. Struggling to pay for basic needs, she was preparing to leave school when a roommate found her crying and stepped in. That roommate, Jeannie Ringo Tarkenton, loaned her $1,000 so she could stay enrolled.
That moment of grace stayed with Scott for decades.
“It was the college roommate who found me crying, and acted on her urge to loan me a thousand dollars to keep me from having to drop out in my sophomore year,” Scott wrote in her Oct. 15 essay. “And after she saw the difference she made in my life, what was she inspired to do, twenty years later? Start a company that offers loans to low-income students without a co-signer. And how quickly did I jump at the chance to be one of the people who supported her dream of supporting students just as she had once supported me?”
Tarkenton — who is from Mountain View, Calif. — went on to launch her own mission-driven company: Funding U, which has since provided more than $80 million in low-interest, no-cosigner loans to help students from low-income backgrounds stay in college. Her own experience watching a small gesture change a life inspired her to scale it up for thousands more.
Now, both women are making waves in higher education — one through grassroots financial access, and the other through large-scale philanthropic giving.
For Bowie State, the gift is more than a headline. It means greater capacity to expand academic programs, invest in student support services and increase access to college for first-generation and underrepresented students.
The gift to Bowie follows another significant contribution Scott made earlier this year to Howard University, further demonstrating her focus on supporting historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and underserved communities. While the amounts have not been publicly confirmed by all institutions, many recipients of Scott’s donations have reported receiving the largest gifts in their history.
Scott’s donations are part of a larger trend she’s fueling: trust-based philanthropy, where organizations are empowered to use funds however they see fit, without burdensome restrictions or oversight.
As her former roommate Tarkenton put it, “Small graces everywhere add up — or big graces, when it comes to MacKenzie’s giving.”
Learn More About Funding U
Funding U was founded to provide student loans without the need for a co-signer. The company focuses on high-achieving college students — regardless of family income — who are often excluded from traditional lending due to credit or income requirements.
“We started Funding U to provide a loan that students can get on their own, based on hard work, tenacity, and focus — not based on the income level or credit score of a loan co-signer,” said Tarkenton, who serves as founder and CEO. “In a world in which college costs are high, financial aid is limited, federal loans have small caps, and banks won’t provide loans without a co-signer, we chose to offer a solution.”
Funding U has provided more than $80 million in low-interest, no-cosigner loans to students from low-income backgrounds. Learn more at funding-u.com/-u.com.
Loan Availability
Residents of the following states are eligible for 2025–2026 loans through Funding U: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Terms and conditions vary by state.
About Bowie State University
Bowie State University (BSU) is an important higher education access portal for qualified persons from diverse academic and socioeconomic backgrounds, seeking a high-quality and affordable public comprehensive university. The university places special emphasis on the science, technology, cybersecurity, teacher education, business, and nursing disciplines within the context of a liberal arts education. For more information about BSU, visit bowiestate.edu.
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