Amazon Explained: Its Philanthropy

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Amazon has been making headlines lately, and not just for skyrocketing share values and Jeff Bezos’s growing wealth.

Instead, increased focus has been placed on the Seattle-based tech giant’s philanthropic pursuits – both related to the current global pandemic and wider issues. This year, Amazon has donated over $20 million towards improving Covid-19 testing and research – in addition, the company has invested funds in providing homes and shelter to those in need, as well as donating millions of dollars to computer science programs, education, and transit improvement initiatives.

Though Amazon philanthropy has been prominent of late, that hasn’t always been considered the case. Many have long held the opinion that the massively successful tech company should have reached this level of giving (or more) long ago. Much of this comes with comparisons between Amazon’s CEO, Jeff Bezos, and some of his stratospherically wealthy counterparts like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerburg, both of whom are well-known for being heavily involved with philanthropic programs and initiatives. Nonetheless, as the now richest person in the world, Jeff Bezos and his brain-child, Amazon, have been greatly generous with financial donations to many charities and all-around support of the same.

How Amazon is involved in the community

In a statement on its philanthropic efforts, Amazon says: “At Amazon, we are committed to ensuring all children and young adults, especially those from underrepresented and underserved communities who reside in areas where we have a physical presence, have the resources and skills they need to build their best and brightest futures… We focus on building long-term and innovative programs that will have a lasting, positive impact in communities around the world.”

The three main areas of Amazon’s Philanthropic involvement are computer science and STEM education, hunger and homelessness aid, and disaster relief. The company has also supported over 150 literary organizations with more than $12 million of donations through grants with the focus of promoting a diversity of voices.

Further, Jeff Bezos himself has made donations to Seattle institutions such as Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the Seattle Museum of History and Industry. Most recently, Bezos has given $10 billion to fight climate change through the Bezos Earth Fund.

Affiliated Organizations and Programs

Amazon is involved with numerous charitable organizations – here are just a few notable mentions.

Earth Fund

In early 2020, Jeff Bezos announced that he was pledging $10 billion towards fighting climate change. The Bezos Earth fund has been structured to supply grants and funds to climate-focused scientists and researchers alike. While addressing the pledge on Instagram, Bezos stated, “Saving the Earth… it is going to take collective action from big companies, small companies, nation-states, global organizations, and individuals.”

Bezos’ aim here is to preserve and protect the natural world. In his statement, Bezos mentions that “Climate change is the biggest threat to our planet,” and the Earth fund is being enacted to help create a bright future for those who inhabit the Earth. This comes on the heels of much criticism towards Amazon for creating a lot of carbon emissions and doing little to support the globe through global warming countermeasures. The Earth Fund should go some way to counteracting those claims.

Seattle Mary’s Place Shelter

Mary’s Place has been around for over 20 years, serving as a shelter for women in need. But the newest and most exciting development with Mary’s Place is its brand new, welcoming but state-of-the-art shelter located right in the heart of Amazon’s downtown Seattle corporate office building.

Mary’s Place is “a shelter strategically designed, inch-by-inch, to maximize space, inspire community, and support the dignity of guests in their journey out of homelessness.”

The new shelter is 63,000 square feet and will be able to accommodate 275 guests at a time. This new shelter is a part of Amazon’s $100 million pledge to Mary’s place, which will include annual rent, utilities, and more for the next ten years.

Right Now Needs

Amazon is involved with numerous programs that are designed to help pressing needs in the community related to hunger, homelessness, and natural disasters. The idea is to lend a helping hand to the very communities that host Amazon’s commercial space throughout the world.

Rise and Smile was a 2019 Amazon initiative that helped provide breakfast to students across the US who would otherwise go hungry – and hunger is a proven contributor to underperformance in schools.

Amazon has a Disaster Relief Team in place to sweep in where natural disasters may strike. The Disaster Relief Team by Amazon can harness Amazon’s operational excellence and worldwide resources to aid in fast and effective relief, whether it be through sending truckloads of Amazon donated supplies, providing solar lights, or countless other measures.

STEM

What will the Amazon workforce of the future look like, and what skills will those employees need? Though it’s impossible to say for certain, a grounding in science, technology, engineering and mathematics is likely to figure prominently – which is why Amazon is focusing efforts on making access to STEM subjects easier for children and young adults from underserved and underrepresented communities. Coding, in particular, is a strong focus in Amazon’s youth education programs. Coding is the language of the future, and Amazon is instilling a core base-knowledge of coding into the students involved in their programs. These programs come in the form of after school sessions and classes for over 10 million children across the United States.

The Amazon Future Engineer programme offers participants assistance from Kindergarten all the way through high school and college – a lucky few even get a paid internship with the company.

Neighborhood Small Business Fund

Amazon has recently opened up a new grant program to help support Seattle-based small businesses that have been negatively impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Amazon states: “These businesses support thousands of local jobs. They’re our friends and neighbors, and we believe it’s important we help them confront the economic challenges they face due to reduced foot traffic.”

Amazon Smile

Amazon Smile allows shoppers to choose from over one million charities to aid; once a customer has opted in, Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases made through the site. It works – to the tune of $198m in donations to date – because it’s simple, impactful, and customers like the idea of being part of a philanthropic programme. And, of course, it acts as a reminder for Amazon shoppers all over the world that this relentless powerhouse of a company is using its forces for good.