Jeff Bezos gives $100 million to Eva Longoria and Bill McRaven for charitable purposes

Billionaire Jeff Bezos launched the Courage and Civility Award in 2021 to support philanthropists. Courtesy of the Bezos Awards for Courage and Civility

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sanchez have donated $100 million to retired Navy admiral and actress Eva Longoria as part of the annual Billionaire Award for individuals who make significant contributions to society.

The Desperate Housewives star and Bill McRaven, a veteran consultant and former chancellor of the University of Texas System, each received $50 million to help those in need.

Bezos – whose net worth is approx 200 billion dollars– The Courage and Civility Award was launched in 2021 to support philanthropists.

Van Jones, a lawyer and CNN commentator, and celebrity chef and humanitarian activist José Andrés were the first recipients of the award.

“We need unified people, not distorted peopleBezos commented on the reason for launching the award, before revealing the winners of the inaugural award.

“People who argue hard and work hard for what they truly believe in, but always with civility and never attack personally. Unfortunately, we live in a world where this doesn't happen very often.”

Since then, she has become country singing icon Dolly Parton He received the 2022 awardafter donating $1 million to Covid-19 vaccine research and writing books for millions of children through her Imagination Library Foundation.

How will Eva Longoria and Bill McRaven use the money?

Twelve years after portraying Gabrielle Solis, the housewife of Wisteria Lane, Longoria has become a director and CEO of her own production company, UnbeliEVable Entertainment, and a political activist.

In 2021, she founded the Eva Longoria Foundation “to help Latinos build a better future for themselves and their families through education and entrepreneurship,” according to its website.

The charity achieves this through a variety of programs for aspiring Latinos, including mentorship and access to funding.

Longoria said she received her share of the prize money deer She's planning toContinue doing what I was doing“With the Eva Longoria Foundation and Eva Champions, a charitable organization within the foundation that supports the special needs community.

Longoria said her philanthropic focus is on women because they are “changemakers in families.”

“When you help a woman, she helps her family. And then when you help families, you improve communities. When you improve communities, you improve countries,” she added.

Meanwhile, McRaven – who oversaw the 2011 raid The United States, which killed Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, has pledged to use the money to develop educational programs for future military leaders and children of deceased veterans, as well as mental health support for those who serve.

“The opportunity to use this amazing gift to help veterans and their families is the dream of a lifetime and I am so grateful to Lauren and Jeff for giving me this opportunity,” he said in a statement. CNN.

Bezos says he is on a mission to give away his wealth

The world's second-richest man (behind only LVMH Chairman Bernard Arnault, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index) did not hand out the charitable award last year, but was on a broader mission to give away the majority of his fortune during his lifetime.

Since stepping down as Amazon CEO, Bezos has increased his philanthropic efforts and committed $10 billion to climate change efforts, through an initiative called the Bezos Earth Fund.

Last year, he provided $117 million in grants to support homeless families through the Bezos Day One Families Fund, bringing his total donations to nearly $640 million.

However, critics in the past have been skeptical about the billionaire's sincerity in philanthropy.

“He committed a huge amount of money. But it still seems very half-baked. Benjamin Soskiswho researches the Urban Institute's philanthropy, previously said time.

Additionally, Bezos has not yet signed the Giving Pledge.

The campaign, launched in 2010 by Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates and Warren Buffett, encourages billionaires from various industries to commit to donating at least half of their wealth to charitable causes.

So far it has been signed before 242 billionaires Including Elon Musk and even Bezos' ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott.