Dolly Parton Awarded Bezos Courage and Civility Award and $100 Million Grant from Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez
Photo by Dean Budnick
Dolly Parton has been named the latest recipient of the Bezos Courage and Civility Award by Jeff Bezos and his longtime partner Lauren Sanchez. Previous recipients include CNN contributor Van Jones and chef José Andrés.
“Jeff and I are so proud to share that we have a new Bezos Courage and Civility Award winner — a woman who gives with her heart and leads with love and compassion in every aspect of her work,” wrote Sanchez on Instagram. “We can’t wait to see all the good that you’re going to do with this $100 million award.”
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The newly inducted Rock & Roll Hall of Famer has been known for her mindful donations to various causes over her life and thanked Bezos and Sanchez publically via Twitter.
She wrote, “I try to put my money where my heart is. I will do my best to do good things with this money,” Parton tweeted. “Thank you @JeffBezos #LaurenSanchez”.
I try to put my money where my heart is. I will do my best to do good things with this money ❤️ Thank you @JeffBezos #LaurenSanchez https://t.co/8RHh51z3jT
— Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) November 13, 2022
One of her recent philanthropic efforts includes a $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s vaccine research efforts, which was partly used to fund Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine.
Parton’s care goes back decades, with the establishment of the Dollywood Foundation in 1988 and The Imagination Library, which helps children around the world access books in 1995. She also created the Dolly Parton Scholarship, which provides $15,000 to recipients towards a college education per year.
The $100 million grant attached to the Bezos Courage and Civility Award comes with no obligation or direction. “They can give it all to their own charity,” the founder and former head of Amazon during a news conference said last year. “Or they can share the wealth. It is up to them.”
