Three private, historically Black colleges and universities in Tennessee will benefit from a $70 million donation from philanthropist billionaire MacKenzie Scott.

Scott, who was previously married to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, donated the money to the United Negro College Fund. The national nonprofit helps private, historically Black colleges and universities, or HBCUs, bolster their academics and keep their tuitions affordable. Scott's donation will go into a pooled endowment fund for 37 private HBCUs nationwide, including Fisk University in Nashville, Lane College in Jackson and LeMonyne-Owen College in Memphis.

Endowments at HBCUs trail those at non-HBCUs by at least 70%, according to a Sept. 22 release from the organization. The pooled endowment is designed to support the long-term f

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