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mega billionaire Amazon Founder jeff bezos And his wife, former news anchor Lauren Sanchez Bezos, is awarding $5 million to the founder of a neurodivergent student support network, in recognition that the lesser-known recipient credits students with powering his fast-growing movement for more inclusive classrooms.
“I feel like it’s sometimes said that our small actions don’t matter,” said David Flink, CEO of the Neurodiversity Alliance. “That’s simply not true. And this proves it. The many small activities that happen every day in our work, collectively over time, reached the ears of people like Lauren and Jeff.”
Flink is one of five winners of this year’s Bezos Courage and Civility Award. Looking at most of the years since 2021, the grants celebrate barrier-breaking individuals who unite people behind bold solutions to often neglected challenges. The prize money may be used with no strings attached however the honoree wishes to further their charitable goals.
Neurodiversity Alliance began 25 years ago as a peer-to-peer mentoring program for students with various learning and developmental differences such as autism, ADHD, and dyslexia. The nonprofit now reaches more than 600 high schools and colleges, encouraging youth to create educational environments that serve classmates whose brains function differently than what is considered normal.
The Bezos, who married this summer in a lavish ceremony in Venice that sparked protests highlighting wealth inequality, did not issue any clarification in support of the issue. According to Forbes, the Amazon founder has a net worth of approximately $240 billion, making him the fourth richest person in the world.
Bezos has previously shown interest in early childhood education through his nonprofit network of tuition-free preschools inspired by the Montessori model.
Sanchez Bezos grew up with undiagnosed dyslexia. He told “Good Morning America” last year that his children’s book, “The Fly Who Flew to Space,” was “for the 8-year-old who was told I wasn’t smart.” She credited a college professor for encouraging her to take the test, who recruited her for the school newspaper despite her insistence that she could not spell.
Flink’s selection marks a departure from previous high-profile recipients of the award. Previous honorees include CNN political commentator from jonesJose Andres, founder of World Central Kitchen, actor-director Eva Longoria and country superstars dolly partonThis change reflects the desire of well-known individuals to get money closer to the ground rather than distributing it to the nonprofits of their choice,
The smaller-scale approach differs from many of Bezos’s ultra-wealthy peers, according to the Indiana University professor emeritus in public affairs and philanthropic studies. Leslie Lenkowski said that today’s entrepreneur-philanthropists – for example Bill Gates – focus on systemic change in health or education.
“Instead of trying to change the system, he’s trying to provide funding to individuals or communities to tackle important issues,” Lenkowski said of Bezos. “It’s actually a very old model of philanthropy.”
The size of the award is also smaller this year. The five winners are sharing equally $25 million, whereas previous prizes totaled $100 million.
Flink said the money will help the coalition meet its goal of reaching more than 2,000 sites by 2028. She promised to invest in enhancing mentorship programs, telling more stories that challenge negative narratives about neurodiversity, and expanding the national network of student leaders who receive training to maintain their schools’ clubs.
He said this support is especially important when “demand has never been higher” and he has seen “some fluctuations” in the resources schools receive.
The Trump administration’s dismantling of the Education Department includes mass layoffs at the agency that addressed complaints that students with disabilities are not getting enough support from their schools. Earlier this month, the department brought back dozens of employees from the Office of Civil Rights, saying their help was needed to deal with the growing backlog of discrimination complaints.
Kala Shah, an attorney whose 24-year tenure at the Education Department included enforcing protections for students with disabilities, said neurodivergent students depend on that oversight.
“This is an especially important time for private foundations and philanthropy to help fill the resource gap created by the current federal environment,” he said.
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