Over the past 10 years, Jeff Bezos has spent about 8% of his current net worth on charity. His charitable spending includes his $10 billion Earth Fund and a $200 million donation to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.
Popular billionaire and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has declared his intention to give more of his fortune to charity. According to the latest Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Bezos is the fourth richest man in the world, and is worth about $124 billion. In an interview, the businessman said his charity will be dedicated to fighting climate change and supporting people. The charity will exclusively support a category of people who can unify humanity regardless of social and political divisions.
Jeff Bezos, alongside his partner, Lauren Sanchez, said that they were setting up a capacity to give the money as a charity. Since Jeff Bezos began dating the American media personality in 2019, the publicity of the Bezos Courage and Civility Award has increased. So far, three different personalities have become the recipients of this award. Recently, Bezos announced. that Dolly Parton was the recipient of the Bezos Award for Courage and Civility, from which she received $100 million. Jose Andrés, a chef who spent money to feed Ukrainians, and Van Jones, a climate advocate and CNN contributor, also received the award.
We’ve just announced a new Courage and Civility award recipient – @DollyParton, who leads with her heart, and will put this $100 million award to great use helping so many people. She joins prior awardees, @VanJones68 and @Chefjoseandres. Congrats, Dolly! pic.twitter.com/dzTuoGVp3G
– Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) November 12, 2022
Prior to Jeff Bezos’ charity statement, many critics criticized him for not signing the Giving Pledge. The Giving Pledge is a pledge made by the world’s wealthiest individuals and families to give more of their wealth to charity. Lately, the 58-year-old billionaire has been more focused on being a philanthropist than an executive and has stepped down as CEO of Amazon in 2021. Jeff Bezos owns Amazon, one of the world’s largest e-commerce companies, and Blue Origin, a space exploration company.
Jeff Bezos’ previous charitable donations
Over the past 10 years, Jeff Bezos has spent about 8% of his current net worth on charity. His charitable spending includes his $10 billion Earth Fund and a $200 million donation to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Jeff Bezos’ Earth Fund aims to provide solutions to major environmental problems through carbon reduction and the creation of plant-based carbon sinks. Other solutions include pushing financial regulators to consider climate risk and advancing data and mapping technologies to monitor carbon emissions. Interestingly, Bezos’ wife, MacKenzie Scott, has spent more than $12 billion on nonprofits. Her charitable work focuses on the U.S. grassroots, which is often overlooked by large donors.
Jeff Bezos has yet to find a way to distribute his fortune to charity recipients. During the discussion, Jeff Bezos did not mention the exact percentage or amount allocated to charity. Currently, there is insufficient information about his charity to determine how the funds will be spent.
Finally, Jeff Bezos is considering joining the NFL’s league of club owners. According to reports, Bezos plans to acquire the NFL’s Washington Commanders in conjunction with American music idol Jay-Z. There is no confirmation if the duos have discussed this with the current owners of the American soccer team.