Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, considered the world’s richest man, last week announced that he and his wife, Mackenzie, are contributing $2 billion to launch new preschools in underserved communities and tackle the issue of homelessness in young families.
The philanthropic efforts will come under the umbrella of the Bezos Day One Fund, the billionaire wrote via Twitter, which he said “will launch and operate a network of high-quality, full-scholarship, Montessori-inspired preschools in underserved communities.” The other priority will be supporting organizations and civic groups doing “compassionate, needle-moving” work to provide food and shelter for young homeless families.
He vowed to build an organization that will start and operate the preschools where “the child will be the customer,” a rare use of the business concept about preschoolers.
Bezos has come under some criticism for not sharing more of his wealth in the form of philanthropy, and earlier this year, he asked his Twitter followers for ideas about how to give away his money.
