The world can’t stop talking about Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez’s impending nuptials, set to take place in Italy this June. But before the celebrations aboard the $500 million Koru and the picturesque towns of Italy steal the spotlight, there’s a meaningful story of philanthropy making waves.
Jeff’s parents, Jacklyn and Miguel ‘Mike’ Bezos, have just donated a staggering $500 million to UNICEF’s Child Nutrition Fund to fight global child and maternal undernutrition. The incredible contribution was made through the Bezos Family Foundation at the Nutrition for Growth diplomatic summit held in Paris on Friday, March 28.
The early Amazon investors, who famously contributed just $245,573 in 1994 to a struggling startup, are now using the fruits of their legendary investment to change lives. That modest sum eventually grew into a stake worth nearly $48.4 billion, one of the most profitable investments in history. By 2020, Amazon had crossed the $1 trillion mark.
UNICEF’s Director of Private Giving and Partnerships, Carla Haddad Mardini, called the $500 million donation “by far the largest investment we’ve ever received from a family.”
The fund aims to reach $1 billion to combat child undernutrition and is centered around a powerful truth: the first 1,000 days of a child’s life are critical for brain development, and adequate nutrition is essential to that process.
This is not the first time Jackie and Mike Bezos have stepped up for a cause. In August 2024, they donated $185.7 million to establish the Center for Rising Generations, a space dedicated to fostering civic engagement and youth leadership. Two years earlier, in 2022, they committed $710.5 million to support cutting-edge cancer research at a Seattle-based institution.
On a personal level, this timely act of generosity feels like a thoughtful way to collect some good juju ahead of their son Jeff’s big day. Jacklyn Bezos, once a teenage mother, faced tremendous odds while raising Jeff. She attended night classes to finish her education, often bringing young Jeff along. Years later, she channeled her drive and devotion into co-founding the Bezos Family Foundation in 2000. With Amazon’s success, her nurturing spirit and belief in potential have now translated into billions in benevolence.
Another former family member making waves in philanthropy is Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos’ ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott. Since their 2019 divorce, she has donated $2 billion to various charities over five years. Her largest publicly disclosed gift was a remarkable $436 million to Habitat for Humanity International and 84 of its U.S. affiliates, announced in 2022, still her most substantial single donation to date.
