Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and fiancée Lauren Sánchez have pledged $100 million to establish a fund that will help the island of Maui recover from the recent wildfires that have devastated it. The pledge was announced in both an Instagram and Threads post from Sánchez, and it expresses both heartbreak at the situation and a pledge to help recovery efforts.
The simple text post reads as follows:
"Jeff and I are heartbroken by what's happening in Maui. We are thinking of all the families that have lost so much and a community that has been left devastated. The immediate needs are important, and so is the longer term rebuilding that will have to happen — even after much of the attention has subsided. Jeff and I are creating a Maui Fund and are dedicating $100 million to help Maui get back on its feet now and over the coming years as the continuing needs reveal themselves."
Jeff Spicer/Jeff Spicer/Getty Images
In a follow-up post on Threads, Sánchez went into a little more detail on how the money will be disbursed during the crucial recovery period:
"The tragedy unfolding in Maui is beyond heartbreaking. Jeff and I have been on the phone with local residents and officials, and will be making donations to help. Thank you to everyone there helping with recovery efforts on the ground and supporting those who are struggling."
Bezos and Sánchez have a personal connection to the island, as Bezos reportedly purchased a mansion on the southern coast of Maui back in 2021 for $78 million, possibly making it the most expensive home ever sold there. The was bought and sold completely off-market so visuals are scarce, but you can see it at about the 3:25 mark of the video below exploring the La Perouse Bay area by drone:
Another rich and famous celebrity who owns property on Maui is Oprah Winfrey. Deadline reported that Winfrey, who owns some 200 acres on the island, has been taking a personal approach to assistance efforts, handing out supplies at a refugee center. As a spokesman for Winfrey told Forbes, she's planning to "do more, as it becomes clear which funds can be the most helpful for the short-term and long-term rebuilding." In a recent social media video, Winfrey repeated the pledge to "make a major donation after all of the smoke and ash have settled here and we figure out what the rebuilding is going to look like."
