Does Jeff Bezos Give to Charity?

May 2024 · 4 minute read

A big part of being a millionaire or billionaire is your willingness to give back to the world. That leads us to wonder if Jeff Bezos, the richest man in the world and CEO of Amazon, gives to charity?

Yes, Jeff Bezos gives money to charity. His philanthropic work is actually quite extensive. Not only does Bezos give money to non-profit and not-for-profit organizations, he also owns the charitable foundation known as The Bezos Day One Fund. Bezos’ parents also run The Bezos Family Foundation. 

Read more below about the donations Bezos has made over the years and his charitable foundation.

Donations to Charities in 2020

In 2018, Jeff Bezos topped the list of donors who give the most according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy. That spot drastically changed for 2019 when Bezos didn’t even make the top ten list. Despite that fact, Bezos does still give a lot of money towards charity and his chances of topping the list of donors for 2020 seems promising.

On February 17, 2020, Bezos announced that he would be donating $10 billion USD towards the fight against climate change. In this Instagram post, Bezos said that the new initiative would be called the Bezos Earth Fund. He also stated that “This global initiative will fund scientists, activists, NGOs — any effort that offers a real possibility to help preserve and protect the natural world.”

Another big donation that Bezos has made in 2020 was the $100 million USD donated to Feeding America in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. In another Instagram post, Bezos said “Today, I want to support those on the front lines at our nation’s food banks and those who are relying on them for food with a $100 million gift to @FeedingAmerica.”

Past Philanthropic Donations

Other than the two most recent donations made, Bezos has donated to many different charitable organizations. Bezos has donated to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center multiple times since 2009. His most recent donation to the research center was $35 million in 2017.

In 2013, Bezos donated to Worldreader, a non-profit that provides books to people in third world countries. In 2017, he donated to The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, a nonprofit that provides pro bono legal services to journalists. He made three large donations in 2018 to charities. Those donations were to TheDream.US, to Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Venture, and to With Honor. It was also in 2018 that Bezos announced his new initiatives The Bezos Day One Fund.

You can watch Jeff Bezos discussing Bezos Day One Fund by following the YouTube link below.

What is the Bezos Day One Fund?

It was in September 2018, that Bezos and his ex-wife MacKenzie announced their new charitable organization, the Bezos Day One Fund. The fund is split into two separate initiatives both focused on helping low income and homeless families. The Bezos’ pledged that this will be a $2 Billion USD initiative.

The first of the two initiatives is called The Day 1 Families Fund. On their website it is stated that “The Day 1 Families Fund issues annual leadership awards to organizations and civic groups doing compassionate, needle-moving work to provide shelter and hunger support to address the immediate needs of young families.” In 2019, the fund donated $98.5 million to charitable organizations.

The second of the two initiatives is called The Day 1 Academies Fund. Their website states the purpose of this initiative is “building a non-profit organization to launch and operate a network of high-quality, full-scholarship Montessori-inspired preschools in underserved communities.

In the past, Jeff Bezos has seemed less concerned about donating to charities. This appears to be changing with his new commitments to creating his own philanthropic organizations. In the future, the world will surely see even more support from Bezos in the realm of charity.

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