Former President of the United States, Barack Obama’s foundation announced on Monday that it had received a donation to the tune of $100 million from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The foundation also mentioned that the contribution was the largest it had ever received from an individual.
The Obama Foundation released a statement, where it said that the donation received from Bezos will be used to assist in the expansion of the scope of programming which reaches leaders that will emerge in the United States as well as other countries around the world.
As reported by the Chicago Tribune, the donation was also said to be given in honour of John Lewis, the congressman and popular civil rights luminary who died last year. The foundation also stated that the donation from Bezos involved a request that the plaza at the Obama Presidential Centre which is under construction on the South Side of Chicago to be named after the late Lewis.
Valerie Jarrett, who is a former adviser to Obama and currently serves as the CEO of the foundation stated that the foundation was delighted with the idea of naming the plaza after Lewis.
Construction on the project – which is seen as Obama’s legacy project – is to be completed by 2025, and is estimated to cost about $830 million. The foundation has said that it’s currently giving any donors the chance to honour the names of those who have fought for a just, equitable world by naming public spaces in the under-construction presidential centre.
In the statement released by the foundation, Bezos said that freedom fighters are deserving of a special space in the “pantheon” of heroes, and John Lewis – whom he regarded as a great American man with an exceptional sense of decency and courage – was highly deserving of the gift.
Bezos also showed his support for the Obamas and their foundation, which aims to train and inspire leaders of tomorrow.
After he stepped down as the CEO of Amazon earlier this year, Bezos started to turn his attention towards Philanthropy. NYU Langone Health, a medical centre that has affiliations with New York University also announced on Monday that it had received a $166 million donation from Jeff Bezos and his family.
The centre said in a statement that the donation will be used to aid the health and “wellness” of diverse populations across the NYU Langone Hospital.