Jeff Bezos gives away $200 million to recognize ‘courage and civility’ on Earth, as critics attack the billions he’s spent on the space race

Jeff Bezos laughs as he speaks about his flight on Blue Origin’s New Shepard into space during a press conference on July 20, 2021 in Van Horn, Texas.

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• Jeff Bezos is giving away $200 million in a pair of awards recognizing “courage and civility.”
• Activist Van Jones and chef Jose Andres will each receive $100 million to donate as they see fit.
• “It’s easy to be courageous and mean – try being courageous and civil,” Bezos said.
• See more stories on Insider’s business page.

Jeff Bezos announced a pair of $100 million awards to recognize “courage and civility” following his successful flight to space on Tuesday.

The recipients, activist Van Jones and chef Jose Andres, will each receive $100 million to direct to the non-profits of their choosing.

“No bureaucracy, no committees – they can give it all to their own charity or they can share the wealth,” Bezos said.

The gift comes as billionaires including Bezos and Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson face criticism for spending billions of dollars – with significant sums of public funds – on building out their respective space tourism businesses.

“Sometimes dreams come true,” said Jones, whose Dream Corps works on issues including criminal justice reform, clean energy, and equity in tech.

“Lauren and Jeff don’t do nothing small – they dream big, they love big, and they bet big, and you bet on me, and I appreciate it,” Jones said.

Sharing the stage with Jones was chef Jose Andres, who launched World Central Kitchen to respond to humanitarian disasters around the world.

“This award itself cannot feed the world on its own, but this is a start of a new chapter for us,” Andres said.

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