Bezos pledges $203.7 million more in grants for Earth Fund

By Sophie Alexander | Bloomberg

Jeff Bezos promised to springiness distant $203.7 cardinal by the extremity of the twelvemonth arsenic portion of the Bezos Earth Fund, his $10 cardinal committedness to combat clime change, which helium started past year.

Bezos is instantly donating $73.7 cardinal of the full to 12 organizations, with the remainder being granted by the extremity of the twelvemonth to groups supporting the Justice40 Initiative, according to a connection Wednesday from the fund. The Justice40 Initiative is an effort by the Biden medication aimed astatine warring clime alteration and supporting disadvantaged communities.

The gifts volition bring the Bezos Earth Fund’s full donations to conscionable nether $1 billion, with 2020’s gifts totaling $791 cardinal to 16 organizations. Bezos has promised to administer the $10 cardinal by 2030.

“This backing is conscionable the adjacent measurement successful the Bezos Earth Fund’s committedness to creating catalytic alteration during this decisive decade,” Andrew Steer, the group’s president, said successful the statement.

Bezos precocious unloaded $172 cardinal worthy of Amazon.com Inc. stock, which was designated arsenic a charitable contribution, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Bezos, 57, has been connected a giving spree recently, with a brace of philanthropic announcements sandwiching his travel to space.

Days earlier completing an 11-minute formation into space done his institution Blue Origin, Bezos announced a $200 cardinal acquisition to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, with the bulk of it going to found the Bezos Learning Center. After the trip, Bezos said helium would springiness $100 cardinal each to Van Jones, a CNN governmental contributor and laminitis of Dream Corps, and cook Jose Andres, co-founder of World Central Kitchen, which helps provender radical successful disaster-stricken regions.

Bezos is worthy $202.3 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. His ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott, has a $62.1 cardinal fortune, adjacent after donating much than $8 billion successful the past 14 months.