The Bezos family has committed $100 million to Robinhood New York City, the city’s largest anti-poverty nonprofit. The funds are part of Robin Hood’s campaign to raise $1 billion to support initiatives including emergency food, housing, education, job training, access to benefits and legal services. The donation is a lead gift to the campaign and will establish the Jackie Bezos Early Childhood Endowment at Robin Hood — named in honor of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ mother, Jackie, who died last year at age 78.
The campaign was unveiled during the annual Robin Hood Charity Gala on May 11, which was attended by Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sanchez Bezos. Other notable donors include Citadel CEO Ken Griffin and Michael Bloomberg.
Jeff Bezos was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, when Jackie was 17 years old. She later married Miguel, a Cuban immigrant who adopted Jeff. The couple’s philanthropic efforts included founding the Bezos Family Foundation in 2000 — three years after Amazon went public — with the goal of investing in learning opportunities for young people. According to its most recent tax filings, the organization distributed $361 million in 2024 and ended the year with $154 million in assets. In addition to providing grants, it has launched internal initiatives such as the Bezos Scholars Program and Vroom, a global effort that provides free tools to parents and caregivers.
Jackie was also deeply involved with Robin Hood, serving on the nonprofit’s board of directors for a decade and chairing its early childhood committee. Jeff’s younger brother Mark, co-founder of investment firm HighPost Capital, will join the board in 2024.
“My mother saw the innate potential in every child and never stopped working to ensure that potential was fulfilled,” Mark said in a statement. “This gift honors her legacy and makes lasting the work she helped build at Robin Hood.”
Founded in 1988 by hedge fund billionaire Paul Tudor Jones, Robinhood has invested $3 billion in programs throughout New York City since its inception. Last year alone, it distributed $140 million to 295 community organizations.
Child care agenda in new york city
The Jackie Bezos Early Childhood Foundation will focus on investments in early childhood, especially interventions for vulnerable youth. This area has been a long-standing priority for Jackie, who helped Robin Hood increase its annual early childhood giving from $13 million to $22.8 million during her tenure and played a role in launching its Early Learning Fund. The Bezos family’s $100 million gift also includes a pledge of an additional $25 million, subject to a match, bringing the potential total to $150 million.
Robin Hood’s focus on child-focused funding comes as New York City Mayor Zahran Mamdani pursues an ambitious plan to expand free child care programs throughout the city. However, the Bezos family gift is not tied to any specific city initiative, Kevin Thompson, Robinhood’s chief communications officer, told the Observer, adding that it was too early to know how the money would be allocated.
Robin Hood currently has about $6 million in active investments directed toward child care in the city. Earlier this year, the nonprofit funded a citywide survey aimed at giving parents a greater role in shaping child care policies in New York City.
“To provide free, universal child care in all five boroughs, it will take a citywide effort — government, providers, working families, workers, philanthropy, and New Yorkers in all five boroughs,” Mamdani spokeswoman Jenna Lyle said in a statement to the Observer. “We are proud to see Robin Hood making a significant commitment to expanding child care in New York and beyond.”
