$500 million new gift announced: Jacklyn and Mike Bezos give to UNICEF’s Child Nutrition Fund

In a groundbreaking act of philanthropy that’s turning as many heads as their son’s star-studded wedding, Jacklyn and Miguel ‘Mike’ Bezos—parents of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos—have just pledged a staggering $500 million to UNICEF’s Child Nutrition Fund.

The donation, one of the largest in the global organization’s history, was announced at Paris’s Nutrition for Growth diplomatic summit.

The Bezos family’s gift, made through the Bezos Family Foundation, aims to combat child and maternal undernutrition, particularly in the crucial first 1,000 days of life—a period that UNICEF says is essential for proper brain development and long-term health.

“This is by far the largest investment we’ve ever received from a family,” said Carla Haddad Mardini, UNICEF’s Director of Private Giving and Partnerships. “It will fundamentally change how we respond to global nutrition needs.”

Jackie and Mike Bezos are no strangers to smart investments—or to giving back. In 1994, they famously wrote a $245,573 check to help their son Jeff get his fledgling online bookstore off the ground.

Today, that humble investment has ballooned into a stake worth an estimated $48.4 billion, with Amazon’s market cap now well over the $1 trillion mark.

They’ve channeled the wealth generated from that foresight into transformative philanthropic initiatives. This includes:

$710.5 million in 2022 to support cancer research in Seattle.

$185.7 million in 2024 to launch the Center for Rising Generations, focused on civic engagement and youth leadership.

This jaw-dropping donation also comes just weeks before Jeff Bezos is set to marry Lauren Sánchez in in Italy this June.

Whether intentional or serendipitous, the timing of this philanthropic headline feels deeply personal.

Jacklyn Bezos, who once juggled night classes with single motherhood while raising Jeff, has long believed in nurturing potential—not just in her son, but in others.

Her journey from a young mother with limited means to a leading philanthropist is, in many ways, the heart of this story.

And it’s not just the parents setting a powerful example. Jeff Bezos’ ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott, has also made her own mark in the world of charitable giving.

Since their 2019 divorce, Scott has donated more than $2 billion to causes ranging from education to racial equity.

Her largest known donation was $436 million to Habitat for Humanity and 84 of its affiliates in 2022.

With this latest move, it’s clear that philanthropy is quickly becoming the Bezos family legacy—a legacy of vision, responsibility, and deep compassion for those in need.

As the world eagerly awaits the glamour and spectacle of Jeff Bezos’ upcoming nuptials, this story serves as a meaningful reminder: the most powerful legacies aren’t just built on wealth but on how that wealth is shared.