The Bezos family is giving $100 million to New York’s Robin Hood, the city’s largest nonprofit that fights poverty. The funds are part of a Robin Hood campaign to raise $1 billion to support initiatives including emergency food, shelter, education, job training, access to benefits and legal services. The donation serves as the anchor gift of the campaign and will create Jackie Bezos Gift for early childhood in Robin Hood – named in recognition of Amazon FOUNDER Jeff Bezos’ mother, Jackie, who died last year at the age of 78.
The campaign was unveiled during the annual Robin Hood benefit on May 11, which they attended Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos. Other notable donors include The castle CEO, Ken Griffin and Michael Bloomberg.
Jeff Bezos was born in Albuquerque, NM, when Jackie was 17 years old. She later married Miguel, a Cuban immigrant who adopted Jeff. The couple’s philanthropic efforts have included founding the Bezos Family Foundation in 2000 — three years after Amazon went public — with a mission to invest in learning opportunities for young people. According to its most recent tax filings, the organization distributed $361 million in 2024 and ended the year with $154 million in assets. In addition to awarding grants, it has launched internal initiatives such as the Bezos Scholars Program and Vroom, a global effort that provides free tools for parents and caregivers.
Jackie was also deeply involved with Robin Hood, serving on the nonprofit’s board of directors for a decade and chairing its early childhood committee. Jeff’s younger brother Mark, co-founder of investment firm HighPost Capital, joined the board in 2024.
“My mother saw the innate potential in every child and never stopped working to ensure that potential was fulfilled,” Mark said in a statement. “This gift honors her legacy and perpetuates the work she helped build Robin Hood.”
Founded in 1988 by a hedge fund billionaire Paul Tudor JonesRobin Hood has invested $3 billion in programs throughout New York City since its inception. Last year alone, it distributed $140 million to 295 community-based organizations.
Child care agenda in New York City
The Jackie Bezos Fund for Early Childhood will emphasize early childhood investments, particularly interventions for vulnerable youth. The area was a longtime priority for Jackie, who helped Robin Hood grow annual early childhood grants from $13 million to $22.8 million during her tenure and played a role in launching its Early Learning Fund. The Bezos family’s $100 million gift also includes a pledge of an additional $25 million, contingent on a match, bringing the potential total to $150 million.
Robin Hood’s emphasis on child-focused funding comes as mayor of New York Zohran Mamdani pursues an ambitious plan to expand free child care programs citywide. The Bezos family’s gift, however, is not tied to any specific city initiative, Kevin Thompson, Robin Hood’s chief communications officer, told the Observer, adding that it is too early to know how the funds will be distributed.
Robin Hood currently has approximately $6 million in active city-led childcare investments. Earlier this year, the nonprofit funded a citywide survey aimed at giving parents a greater role in shaping child care policies in New York City.
“Delivering free, universal child care in the five boroughs will take a citywide effort — government, providers, working families, labor, philanthropy and New Yorkers across the five boroughs,” said. Jenna Lylea spokeswoman for Mamdani, in a statement to the Observer. “We are proud to see Robin Hood make a major commitment to expanding child care in New York and beyond.”
