Lauren Sanchez Bezos Bezos-backed fund gives $4.8 million to 48 climate projects

NewsWorld NewsUS NewsLauren Sánchez Bezos-backed fund commits $4.8 million to 48 climate solutions that missed Earthshot Prize finals; funding supports projects ranging from carbon removal to wildlife protection Lauren Sánchez Bezos-backed fund commits $4.8 million to 48 climate solutions that missed Earthshot Prize finals; funding supports projects ranging from carbon removal to wildlife protection The Bezos Earth Fund, chaired by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, with Lauren Sanchez Bezos serving as vice chair, has committed $4.8 million over three years to support 48 climate and nature solutions nominated for the Earthshot Prize but not selected as finalists.

Announced on February 4, 2026, the initiative is a collaboration between the Bezos Earth Fund and the Earthshot Prize to help promising environmental projects expand their operations and increase their impact. The programme will support 16 organisations each year, with each organisation in the first cohort receiving $100,000.

The selected organisations work across areas including carbon removal, wildlife conservation, ecosystem restoration and sustainable technology. The initiative aims to extend funding opportunities beyond the prize's annual finalists and winners.Bezos Earth Fund commits $4.8 million to climate and nature solutions The three-year partnership will draw from the Earthshot Prize's global pool of nominees who did not make the final shortlist.

The Bezos Earth Fund will provide $4.8 million in total, supporting 16 organisations annually with grants of $100,000 each.The funding is intended to help selected organisations scale their work and reach more communities, ecosystems and industries.

The initiative brings together the Earthshot Prize's international network of environmental innovators and the Bezos Earth Fund's philanthropic resources to help promising solutions progress beyond their existing scale.Dr Kelly Levin, chief of science, data and systems change at the Bezos Earth Fund, said promising innovations often remain small when the world needs them to expand.

She said the partnership could help these ideas grow into solutions capable of delivering wider environmental benefits.Jason Knauf, chief executive of the Earthshot Prize, said the prize's wider nomination pool represents a global pipeline of environmental innovators and potential solutions.

The collaboration will allow the organisations to support additional projects beyond the prize's annual selection process.The first 16 organisations selected for funding Founded by Prince William in 2020, the Earthshot Prize aims to identify and scale solutions to five major environmental challenges: protecting and restoring nature, cleaning the air, reviving the oceans, building a waste-free world and fixing the climate.The prize selects 15 finalists each year, with five winners receiving £1 million each.

Its wider nomination pool, however, includes many other organisations working on environmental problems that do not reach the final stage.The Bezos Earth Fund partnership creates an additional funding route for selected nominees outside the finalist group.

Rather than concentrating support only on the annual finalists and winners, the initiative aims to help other promising projects develop and expand their reach.The collaboration reflects the view that environmental innovation can emerge from a wide range of sources, including research organisations, technology developers, conservation groups and local communities.

Providing additional funding may help selected projects move beyond their current scale and reach more people or ecosystems.The Bezos Earth Fund's wider environmental mission Jeff Bezos announced the creation of the Bezos Earth Fund in 2020, committing $10 billion to efforts addressing climate change and protecting nature.

The fund supports work with organisations around the world on environmental protection, restoration and the development of climate solutions.The partnership with the Earthshot Prize forms part of this broader philanthropic effort.

By supporting selected nominees who did not become finalists, the initiative seeks to expand the pool of environmental innovators receiving financial support.The programme will run over three years, with 16 organisations selected annually.

Its overall objective is to help promising climate and nature solutions grow beyond their existing operations and contribute to wider environmental progress. You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.

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