Jeff Bezos Gives Van Jones And José Andres $100M To Charity Of Choice

Michael Loccisano/ Neilson Barnard/ Ethan Miller/ Getty Images

The billionaire space cadet is giving back. Jeff Bezos, who recently just went up into space, is giving Van Jones and celebrity chef José Andrés $100 million each to donate to a charity of their choice.

“They can give all to their own charity or they can share their wealth. It’s all up to them,” Bezos said at a press conference after his trip to space, CNN reports. The gift is part of his philanthropic initiative called the Courage and Civility Award, with aims to honor “leaders who aim high, and who pursue solutions with courage and who always do so with civility.”

“We need unifiers and not vilifiers,” Bezos said. “We need people who argue hard and act hard for what they believe. But they do that always with civility and never ad hominem attacks. Unfortunately, we live in a world where this is too often not the case. But we do have role models.”

"You bet on me and I appreciate it," Jones told Bezos, and mentioned he would like to use the money to, "give to others who have a similar spirit." Andrés, who is known for his philanthropic efforts in feeding those in need all over the world said that the money, "cannot feed the world on its own."

"But," Andrés added, "this is a start of a new chapter for us."

There is no exact word on whether Jones and Andrés will be donating to their own charities or donating to other existing ones but ensure that the money will be spent well.

The CNN commentator is the founder of the criminal justice reform non-profit Dream Corps whose mission is to, "bring people together across racial, social, and partisan lines to create a future with freedom and dignity for all."

Andrés is the founder of World Central Kitchen which strives to, "use food to empower communities and strengthen economies" and to feed people in need.

Bezos' generosity is under watch as he was recently criticized for using money on space travel alongside billionaire Richard Branson, the Virgin Galactic investor, on his rocket company's first flight with people on board per The Grio. Critics mention that the money used for space travel can provide a better quality of life on Earth but Bezos defended his recent trip and acknowledged the skepticism.

"Well, I say they're largely right. We have to do both," he said, per CNN, Monday.

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