All In Washington, a statewide COVID-19 relief effort, announced Monday, Dec. 21 that Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos has pledged another $25 million in matching funds to the campaign, bringing his total contributions to $50 million.<\/p>\n
Bezos’ pledge will help All In WA toward its new fundraising goal of $100 million, according to an All in WA media release. Bezos is the founder of Amazon and the Kent-based Blue Origin aerospace company.<\/p>\n
All in WA provides funds to causes that support workers and families who have been acutely affected by the COVID-19 crisis, particularly Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities who have been disproportionately impacted.<\/p>\n
Since launching in May, All In WA has facilitated more than $70 million in contributions, including matching funds from Bezos, to over 50 causes and community funds across the state. This includes support for All In WA’s cause funds, focused on five critical areas of need: child and family services, food insecurity, small-business recovery, youth homelessness, and support for undocumented families. Additionally, All In WA launched the Digital Equity Initiative to address digital access gaps and the Child Care Initiative to expand affordable child care access.<\/p>\n
While the generosity of Washingtonians has been unprecedented, the impact of the pandemic is far from over. Due to the urgent need across our state, All In WA has set a new fundraising goal of $100 million. As with his earlier pledge, Bezos will match individual donations up to $1 million.<\/p>\n
“Earlier this year, Jeff Bezos’ $25 million pledge to All in WA made an incredible impact on our ability to help Washingtonians,” said Tony Mestres, president and CEO of Seattle Foundation, which hosts the All In WA effort. “By doubling his commitment to $50 million, he’s once again ensuring we can expand our support for families, individuals, community organizations, and businesses across the state.”<\/p>\n
In response to this increased gift and the new goal of $100 million set by All In WA, Gov. Jay Inslee issued a response Dec. 21.<\/p>\n
“This has been a year of unprecedented hardship for our state,” Inslee said. “Through this pandemic, families and workers have had to grapple with unimaginable difficulties meeting basic needs like housing, food, digital access and childcare – and systemic inequity makes it harder for our Black and Indigenous communities, people of color, and our rural and remote residents to stay healthy and safe. But alongside that hardship, we’ve also seen the tremendous generosity of philanthropy and corporations, and I want to thank those donors, Jeff Bezos and All In WA for stepping up to provide the critical resources alongside state funding to meet those critical needs.”<\/p>\n
All In WA is a coalition of philanthropic and community leaders, companies, community foundations, United Way organizations, frontline nonprofits, individuals and public officials across Washington state. Donations can be made to the All In WA Fund, an aggregate fund that addresses funding gaps across the state – or directly to community funds and cause-specific funds across Washington.<\/p>\n
Donations to the All In WA Fund are distributed in the form of grants to nonprofit organizations across the state. A Fund Advisory Group oversees grant making from the All In WA Fund. Seattle Foundation, a local community foundation, is the architect of the All In WA Fund and provides in-kind administrative support to the statewide coalition.<\/p>\n