Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it

In 2020, Jeff Bezos made what remains the largest individual philanthropic commitment to climate and nature ever: $10 billion, to be fully disbursed by 2030 through the Bezos Earth Fund. But five years in, the fund has deployed roughly $2.4 billion of that commitment, leaving about $7 billion to go out the door before the 2020s end. Lauren Sánchez Bezos, who married Bezos last summer, is now the person setting the pace at the Bezos Earth Fund as vice chair, a position she’s held since the fund’s early days, when she was just his girlfriend. During the past year, Sánchez Bezos, who is also a New York Times bestselling author, founder, helicopter pilot, and Emmy Award–winning journalist, has become the more visible figure in the couple’s philanthropic orbit. In September 2025, she announced $37.5 million in grants to support marine protection across 12 Pacific Island nations and territories, part of a $100 million commitment to what the fund calls one of the boldest ocean conservation efforts ever attempted. “The Pacific isn’t just a beautiful backdrop, it’s a lifeline,” she said in a statement. “Pacific Island nations and territories are setting the pace. We’re here to match that ambition and help turn it into protection at scale.” Then in October, she unveiled $30 million in Phase II awards for the fund’s AI Grand Challenge for Climate and Nature, a program that commits up to $100 million to AI-driven environmental solutions. “AI can be a powerful ally to help make the world a better place,” she said in a statement. “These innovators, using AI, are showing us new possibilities by reimagining how we grow food, protect wildlife, and power our planet to make a true impact.” In addition to environmental philanthropic giving, Sánchez Bezos announced in December a $102.5 million commitment to organizations combating homelessness across the U.S. That commitment is part of the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund, which has donated more than $850 million to organizations in all 50 sta