Amazon and Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos will donate $ 200 million to the iconic Smithsonian Institution research, education and museum complex, AFP reported, citing a Bezos communiqué.
Seventy million dollars will be provided for the renovation of the National Aviation and Space Museum, and the remaining 130 million – for the creation of a new educational center, which will be named after Bezos, the richest man in the world.
The Jeff Bezos Vocational Training Center will be located in the heart of Washington and will offer programs and activities that aim to encourage students to take an interest in science and technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics.
Since its inception, the Smithsonian has enjoyed both federal funding and the generosity of far-sighted donors, said the institution’s secretary, Lonnie Bunch.
Founded in 1846, the Smithsonian Institution runs museums, research centers and a zoo. It is defined as the largest museum, educational and research complex in the world.
The Smithsonian plays a key role in awakening the imagination of our future builders and dreamers. Every child is born with great potential, and inspiration activates that potential. My love for science, inventions and space has done this for me, and I hope this donation will do the same for others, “Bezos said.
Jeff Bezos, whose fortune, according to Forbes magazine, amounts to $ 212 billion, has long sponsored the Smithsonian.
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