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Billionaire Jeff Bezos launched the Courage and Civility Prize in 2021 to support philanthropists. Courtesy of the Bezos Courage and Civility Awards
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sanchez donated $100 million to retired Navy admiral and actress Eva Longoria as part of the billionaire’s annual award to people who make significant contributions to society.
The Desperate Housewives star and Bill McRaven, a veteran and former chancellor of the University of Texas System, have each received $50 million to help those in need.
Bezos, who has a net worth of around $200 billion—launched the Courage and Citizenship Award in 2021 to support philanthropists.
Van Jones, attorney and CNN commentator, and lauded chef and humanitarian José Andrés were the first to receive the award.
“We need unifiers and not vilifiers.”Bezos commented on the reason for launching the award, before revealing the winners of the inaugural prize.
“People who argue hard and act hard for what they really believe, but always with civility and never with ad hominem attacks. And, unfortunately, we live in a world where this is too often not the case.”
Since then, country singing icon Dolly Parton took home the 2022 awardafter donating $1 million to Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine research and books for millions of children through his Imagination Library foundation.
How will Eva Longoria and Bill McRaven use the money?
Twelve years after playing Wisteria Lane housewife Gabrielle Solis, Longoria became a director, CEO of her own production company, UnbeliEVAble Entertainment, and political activist.
In 2021, she founded the Eva Longoria Foundation “to help Latinas build better futures for themselves and their families through education and entrepreneurship,” according to her website.
The charity achieves this through a variety of programs for Latino hopefuls, including mentoring and access to funding.
With her share of the prize money, Longoria said she what she planskeep doing what I’ve been doing”with the Eva Longoria Foundation and Eva’s Heroes, a charity within the foundation that supports the special needs community.
Longoria said her charitable focus is on women because they “are the ones who make the change in families.”
“When you help a woman, she helps her family. And then when you help families, you improve communities. And when communities are improved, nations can be improved,” she added.
Meanwhile, McRaven, who oversaw the 2011 raid that who killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, has pledged to use the money to develop educational programs for future military leaders and the children of deceased veterans, as well as mental health support for those who serve.
“The opportunity to use this incredible gift to help veterans and their families is a lifelong dream and I am so grateful to Lauren and Jeff for giving me this opportunity,” he said in a statement. cnn.
Bezos says he is on a mission to give away his wealth
The world’s second-richest man (behind only LVMH boss Bernard Arnault, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index) did not hand out the charity award last year, but has been on a broader mission to donate most of his wealth during his life. .
Since stepping down as Amazon CEO, Bezos has increased his philanthropic efforts and committed $10 billion to climate change efforts, through an initiative called the Bezos Earth Fund.
Last year, it provided $117 million in grants to support homeless families through its Bezos Day 1 Families Fund, bringing its total giving to nearly $640 million.
However, critics in the past have been skeptical about how philanthropic the billionaire really is.
“He has committed a large amount of money. But she still feels very, very half-hearted.” Benjamin Soskiswho researches philanthropy for the Urban Institute previously said Time.
Additionally, Bezos has not yet signed the Giving Pledge.
Launched by Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates and Warren Buffett in 2010, the campaign encourages billionaires across industries to pledge to donate at least half of their fortunes to charitable causes.
So far it has been signed by 242 billionaires including Elon Musk and even Bezos’ ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott.