Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has donated $2.7 million to DC Public Library’s literacy program, Beyond the Book. The gift is the largest benefaction the DC Public Library Foundation has ever received.
Beyond the Book provides reading materials to kids age five to eight years old, as well as educational resources for their families. The program was launched in August with a cohort of 250 kids, and Bezos’ donation will allow the number of participants to double in the upcoming year.
The library gift is the latest record-breaking donation to a DC establishment from the Kalorama resident and owner of the Washington Post. In July, Bezos gave $200 million to the Smithsonian to renovate the National Air and Space Museum and establish the Bezos Learning Center—the largest sum of money gifted since James Smithson’s original bequest. According to Forbes, Bezos’ net worth is $195.5 billion.
Daniella Byck joined Washingtonian in 2022. She was previously with Outside Magazine and lives in Northeast DC.
