Bulletins

Bezos announces the first grants from the $10 billion Bezos Earth Fund

Jeff Bezos

Jeff Bezos is giving away the first $791 million in grants from his giant $10 billion climate fund.

Photo: Mandel Ngan/Getty Images

The 16 recipients, including organizations like the World Wildlife Fund and the Rocky Mountain Institute, will receive a total of $791 million in grants.

"I've spent the past several months learning from a group of incredibly smart people who've made it their life's work to fight climate change and its impact on communities around the world," Bezos said in an Instagram post announcing the grants. "I'm inspired by what they're doing, and excited to help them scale."

The grant recipients span a range of organizations, from teams focused on research to grassroots political groups dedicated to climate action. In a statement, one of the grantees, the Climate + Clean Energy Equity Fund, said the $43 million contribution over three years will "support grassroots organizing to build power and increase participation in our democratic processes within communities of color, advocate for clean-energy policy solutions that reflect the priorities of these communities, and advance racial, economic, and environmental justice."

Bezos first announced he was giving away $10 billion in February. In Monday's announcement, he called this round of funding "just the beginning."

Issie Lapowsky

Issie Lapowsky ( @issielapowsky) is Protocol's chief correspondent, covering the intersection of technology, politics, and national affairs. She also oversees Protocol's fellowship program. Previously, she was a senior writer at Wired, where she covered the 2016 election and the Facebook beat in its aftermath. Prior to that, Issie worked as a staff writer for Inc. magazine, writing about small business and entrepreneurship. She has also worked as an on-air contributor for CBS News and taught a graduate-level course at New York University's Center for Publishing on how tech giants have affected publishing.

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