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Nov 4, 2020 - Energy & Environment

Filling in the blanks on where Jeff Bezos' $10 billion climate fund is going

Ben Geman
Illustration of Jeff Bezos on a hundred dollar bill

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

The Atlantic has begun solving a big mystery in climate advocacy circles — how Jeff Bezos will spread around money from the $10 billion "Bezos Earth Fund" announced in February.

Why it matters: The fund's size makes it a huge presence in climate philanthropy. And, until now, the fund has been a mysterious presence, given the dearth of info and the broad scope of funding areas.

  • Bezos initially said the first grants would arrive in the summer, but that came and went.

Where it's going, per The Atlantic's reporting:

  • $100 million each to the Nature Conservancy, the Environmental Defense Fund, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the World Wildlife Fund and the World Resources Institute.
  • Grants of $10 million to $50 million for the Energy Foundation, the Union of Concerned Scientists, the ClimateWorks Foundation, and the Rocky Mountain Institute.

What we're watching: For the fund to roll out the grants, and more.

  • "This list does not reflect the complete range of organizations that the Earth Fund has been speaking with and that will be receiving grants from the fund in this initial round – stay tuned," a representative of the fund told the Atlantic (and Axios).
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