Jeff Bezos commits huge donation to Obama Foundation and NYU Langone Medical Center

In a philanthropic act, the co-founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, is donating a whopping $100 million to former US President Barack Obama's non-governmental organisation, the Obama Foundation. The high-profile donations by the world’s second-richest person are being given to honour the late Congressman John Jewish, who was a long-term politician and American civil rights icon. In return, Bezos requested that the name of the plaza at the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago be renamed as the "John Lewis Plaza", as per AP report. 

Bezos said in a quoted statement that, "freedom fighters deserve a special place in the pantheon of heroes, and I can’t think of a more fitting person to honour with this gift than John Lewis, a great American leader and a man of extraordinary decency and courage". He added that he was "thrilled to support President and Mrs Obama and their foundation in their mission to train and inspire tomorrow’s leaders". Notably, Bezos' donation to the organisation is one of the largest individual contributions to date.

Jeff Bezos's philanthropic spree

Since Bezos stepped down as the CEO of Amazon this year, he has begun to focus more of his attention on philanthropy. Within the last few months, Bezos has pledged to donate some $200 million to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, $100 million to CNN political commentator and Dream Corps founder Van Jones, and $100 million to chef Jose Andres, co-founder of World Central Kitchen, an NGO that offers free meals to individuals in disaster zones and poverty-stricken areas.

The NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn stated that the Bezos Family Foundation will pay a $166 million gift. In 2021, the big tech boss promised to donate $10 billion by 2030 to boost climate change efforts through his Bezos Earth Fund. According to Forbes, the total worth of Bezos is estimated at roughly $212 billion, and the billionaire has always been questioned over his high level of charity. His ex-wife, Mackenzie Scott, who had an estimated net worth of $61 billion, has also emerged as one of the most prominent philanthropists in the world after the couple separated in 2019.

Image: AP

With Inputs from AP