Bezos Giving Minnesota, Wisconsin Charities Combined $7.5 Million

The Bezos Day One Fund is a $2 billion commitment from Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos that focuses on two main areas: the Day 1 Families Fund, which supports nonprofits helping families experiencing homelessness, and the Day 1 Academies Fund, which builds and operates a network of tuition-free, Montessori-inspired preschools in underserved communities.

According to its website, the initiative is a private philanthropic project, separate from Amazon, and aims to address family homelessness and provide early childhood education.

Recently, the organization announced the eighth annual Day 1 Families Fund leadership awards, which consist of 32 recipients from 20 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam who will receive immediate donations totaling $102.5 million to "continue their compassionate, needle-moving work to help families move from unsheltered homelessness and shelters to permanent housing and access services to achieve stability."

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Among the 32 recipients were one organization in Minnesota and one in Wisconsin, which will receive a combined $7.5 million.

Minnesota and Wisconsin Organizations Among Day 1 Families Fund Recipients

The Day 1 Families Fund is giving Chum in Duluth, Minnesota $2.5 million, which is reportedly its largest ever private gift. Chum boasts it is "people of faith working together to provide basic necessities, foster stable lives, and organize for a just and compassionate community."

In Wisconsin, the United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County learned it will be receiving $5 million. The organization recently launched its 2025 Community Campaign to raise $56 million in an effort to "end family homelessness, reduce barriers to employment, bridge the digital divide, and support teen mental wellness."

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Here is the complete list of recipients of the eighth annual Day 1 Families Fund leadership awards:

ACCESS Inc., Akron, OH - $1.25 million
Associated Ministries of Tacoma-Pierce County, Tacoma, WA - $2.5 million
Big Bend Cares, Tallahassee, FL - $5 million
Booker T. Washington Community Service Center, San Francisco, CA - $5 million
Care Resource Community Health Centers, Inc., Miami, FL - $5 million
Chum, Duluth, MN - $2.5 million
City Care, Oklahoma City, OK - $2.5 million
City Rescue Mission, Oklahoma City, OK - $2.5 million
Community Crisis Services, Inc., Hyattsville, MD - $5 million
DuPagePads, Wheaton, IL - $5 million
Emergency Family Assistance Association, Boulder, CO - $5 million
Family Promise of Greater Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN - $1.25 million
Friendship Place, Washington, DC - $2.5 million
Friendship Service Center, New Britain, CT - $2.5 million
Harford Family House, Aberdeen, MD - $1.25 million
Hermanos de la Calle, Key Biscayne, FL - $1.25 million
Hope Harbor, Grand Island, NE - $1.25 million
Housing Families, Malden, MA - $5 million
KCEOC Community Action Partnership, Inc., Gray, KY - $5 million
LifeStyles of Maryland, Inc., La Plata, MD - $2.5 million
Mary’s Place, Seattle, WA - $5 million
New Orleans Women & Children’s Shelter, New Orleans, LA - $1.25 million
Residential Youth Services & Empowerment, Honolulu, HI - $2.5 million
St. Vincent de Paul Georgia, Atlanta, GA - $5 million
The Coalition of Homeless Services Providers, Seaside, CA - $2.5 million
The Kitchen, Inc., Springfield, MO - $2.5 million
Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation Mvn'-dvn (Housing Division), Smith River, CA - $1.25 million
Under 1 Roof, Dallas, TX - $1.25 million
Union Station Homeless Services, Pasadena, CA - $5 million
United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County, Milwaukee, WI - $5 million
WestCare Pacific Islands, Inc., Hagatna, Guam - $2.5 million
YMCA of Central Ohio, Columbus, OH - $5 million