The Bezos family donated $100 million to New York City’s Robin Hood, the city’s largest anti-poverty nonprofit. The funds are part of Robin Hood’s $1 billion campaign to support programs including emergency food, housing, education, job training, access to benefits and legal services. The donation serves as a campaign gift and will establish the Jackie Bezos Endowment for Early Childhood at Robin Hood—named in honor 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, attended by Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos. Other notable sponsors include Citadel 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 included establishing the Bezos Family Foundation in 2000—three years after Amazon went public—with the goal of investing in educational opportunities for young people. According to its latest tax filing, the organization has distributed $361 million in 2024 and ended the year with $154 million in assets. In addition to grants, it has launched internal programs such as the Bezos Scholars Program and Vroom, a global effort that provides free tools for parents and caregivers.
Jackie is also deeply involved with Robin Hood, serving on the nonprofit’s board of directors for ten years and chairing the Early Childhood Committee. Jeff’s younger brother, Mark, founder of investment firm HighPost Capital, joined the board in 2024.
“My mother saw the innate ability in every child and never stopped working to ensure that the ability was realized,” said Mark in a statement. “This gift honors his legacy and perpetuates the work he helped build at Robin Hood.”
Founded in 1988 by hedge-fund billionaire Paul Tudor Jones, Robin Hood has invested $3 billion in projects throughout New York City since its inception. Last year alone, it distributed $140 million to 295 community-based organizations.
New York City’s child care agenda
The Jackie Bezos Endowment for Early Childhood will emphasize early childhood investments, particularly interventions for at-risk youth. The area was a priority for Jackie, who helped Robin Hood increase its annual child grants from $13 million to $22.8 million during her tenure and was instrumental in launching the Fund for Early Learning. The Bezos family’s $100 million gift includes the promise of an additional $25 million, depending on the game, bringing the total to $150 million.
Robin Hood’s emphasis on child support comes as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani pursues an aggressive plan to expand free child care programs throughout the city. The Bezos family’s gift, however, is not connected to any city plan, Kevin Thompson, Robin Hood’s chief communications officer, told the Observer, adding that it is too early to know how the money will be distributed.
Robin Hood currently has approximately $6 million in child-directed investments in the city. Earlier this year, the nonprofit funded a citywide survey aimed at giving parents a greater role in shaping New York City’s child care policies.
“Bringing free child care to all five boroughs will take a city-wide effort – government, providers, working families, workers, New Yorkers in all five boroughs,” said Jenna Lyle, spokeswoman for Mamdani, in a statement to the Observer. “We are proud to see Robin Hood making such a strong commitment to expanding child care in New York and beyond.”
