Jeff Bezos, Blue Origin founder, gets philanthropy award from Galileo Foundation

Jeff Bezos, the third-richest man in the world and the creator of Amazon, along with Chef Jose Andres, were honoured as “Prophets of Philanthropy” at the Vatican for their humanitarian and philanthropic efforts.

The Galileo Foundation, a non-profit that aids in the activities of the Catholic Church and Pope Francis, gave Bezos and Andrés the first Prophets of Philanthropy award.

Also Read| MacKenzie Scott gives $85 million to US Girl Scouts, largest individual donation they ever received

“Our oceans are acidifying, and our fish stocks are declining. Soil is degrading, and deserts are encroaching. In almost all cases, it is the poor and vulnerable who are suffering most from these disasters, while they have done the least to cause them. Caring for nature is caring for people. This message is one that we must continue to spread,” Bezos stated in his acceptance speech.

Lauren Wendy Sanchez, Bezos’s girlfriend, expressed her pride following the award ceremony in a post on Instagram.

“Jeff receiving the Galileo Prophets of Philanthropy award at the Vatican this week. Full speech at Bezos Earth Fund website. So proud,” she wrote.

Also Read| Who are Girls Scouts of the USA?

Meanwhile, Bezos’ ex-wife of 25 years, Mackenzie Scott, continued her philanthropic spree this week, donating $84.5 million to Girl Scout USA, the largest donation they have ever received.

Bezos donates to a variety of charities, most recently working to preserve the Congo Basin in Africa, but despite having more than four times her net worth, he has only given $2.4 billion to charity in his lifetime.

Scott has donated a staggering $12.8 billion to more than 1,200 charities since 2020, which is the fastest rate of philanthropy in recorded history.

Also Read| Who is Maverick Vargo, man who threatened to kill January 6 investigator?

The two got divorced in 2019 and Bezos, one of the wealthiest people in the world, gave Scott 4% of Amazon’s shares, which was worth about $36 billion.

According to reports, Bezos had an affair with Sanchez when he was dating his ex-wife Mackenzie Scott. After their divorces, the two made their connection known to the world.