Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sánchez are giving away $100 million as part of Bezos’ annual prize to individuals who make significant contributions to society.
This year’s recipients of $50 million each are actor and entrepreneur Eva Longoria, and Bill McRaven, a retired Navy admiral and former chancellor of the University of Texas System.
The Bezos Courage and Civility Award is given to people who try to find solutions to complicated problems, attempt to be uniters, and embrace civility.
The first recipients of the prize were Van Jones, a lawyer and CNN commentator, and chef José Andrés, who each received $100 million in 2021. Entertainer and philanthropist Dolly Parton was the 2022 recipient. There was no 2023 award.
In a statement, McRaven said he wants to use the gift to focus on three areas: educating the children of deceased veterans, particularly in the special operations community; the mental health and brain performance of veterans; and helping to develop future military leaders through education.
Longoria, who starred in ABC’s drama Desperate Housewives as trophy wife Gabrielle Solis, has focused on education and entrepreneurship in Latino communities. The Eva Longoria Foundation aims to connect Latinos and Latinas in lower-income areas with peer mentors, and Longoria has a start-up fund for Latino-owned small businesses.
“Of course, I am honored and thrilled personally, but I am even more excited about the impact I think we can have on this country through/by investing in the strength of the Latino community,” Longoria told CNN. “Latinos in the US are a rapidly growing group with extraordinary potential, but we disproportionately lack the infrastructure opportunity we need and I’m excited to invest in that opportunity.”