Amazon's Jeff Bezos is by most measures the richest man in recent memory, and he can certainly afford to give back in a big way, even compared to other billionaires. To that end, he recently announced a robust lineup of 24 different financial grants to 24 different organizations combating homelessness and/or helping the homeless population, totaling some $97.5 million in all.
The grants have been made through Bezos' "Day One Fund," established by Bezos in September of this year to help out the causes of both education, through the Day 1 Academies Fund, and homelessness, through the Day 1 Families Fund. The recently announced grants obviously pertained to the latter, with the recipients of the grants spanning 16 US states as well as Washington DC. Here's an excerpt from Bezos' press release on the grants, discussing what all of these organizations are going to do with the money:
"These 24 organizations are working on a number of initiatives that support families in need – from emergency shelter and safe short-term shelter for families to get on their feet, to access and support for permanent housing and support services that help families move forward together. We hope these grants provide the additional resources these leaders and their organizations need to expand the scope and impact of their efforts."
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The grants themselves are between $2.5 million and $5 million each. Here's the complete list of this year's awardees:
Abode Services, Fremont, CA • $5 million
Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA • $5 million
Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami, Miami, FL • $5 million
Catholic Community Services of Western Washington, Tacoma, WA • $5 million
Community of Hope, Washington, DC • $5 million
Community Rebuilders, Grand Rapids, MI • $5 million
Crossroads Rhode Island, Providence, RI • $5 million
District Alliance for Safe Housing (DASH), Washington, DC • $2.5 million
Emerald Development and Economic Network, Cleveland, OH • $2.5 million
FrontLine Service, Cleveland, OH • $2.5 million
Hamilton Families, San Francisco, CA • $2.5 million
Heartland Family Service, Omaha, NE • $5 million
Housing Families First, Henrico, VA • $2.5 million
JOIN, Portland, OR • $5 million
LA Family Housing, North Hollywood, CA • $5 million
Northern Virginia Family Service, Oakton, VA • $2.5 million
Primo Center for Women and Children, Chicago, IL • $2.5 million
Refugee Women's Alliance, Seattle, WA • $2.5 million
SEARCH Homeless Services, Houston, TX • $5 million
Simpson Housing Services, Minneapolis, MN • $2.5 million
The Salvation Army, Center of Hope, Charlotte, NC • $5 million
The Salvation Army of Greater Houston, Houston, TX • $5 million
UMOM New Day Centers, Phoenix, AZ • $5 million
Urban Resource Institute, New York, NY • $5 million
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