Bezos Day 1 Families Fund awards $117M to help families experiencing homelessness

The Bezos Day 1 Families Fund announced $117 million in grants on Tuesday to organizations that aid families experiencing homelessness.

Fund recipients are spread across 23 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. Two organizations in Washington state are each receiving $5 million: Seattle’s Catholic Community Services of Western Washington and Vancouver’s Council for the Homeless.

This is the sixth round of grants, bringing the total awarded to $639 million.

The Families Fund is part of a $2 billion Bezos Day One Fund created by Amazon founder and former CEO Jeff Bezos in 2018. It includes a second program operating free Montessori preschools.

Bezos, worth an estimated $160 billion, recently announced that he will be moving his primary residence from the Seattle area, where Amazon is based, to Miami.

Not including his support for 12 Montessori schools in Washington state and climate efforts, Bezos has donated $109.1 million, or less than 0.1% of his wealth, to Washington nonprofits.