Jeff Bezos's fund has now given almost $640 million to help homeless families

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' fund to support homeless families announced $117 million in new grants on Tuesday to organizations across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, which is a part of a $2 billion commitment Bezos made in 2018 to support homeless families and to run free preschools.  

That brings the amount granted by the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund to benefit homeless families to almost $640 million.  

Bezos' partner, former news anchor Lauren Sánchez, who is also the vice president of the Bezos Earth Fund, thanked the grantee organizations in a video posted to both her and Bezos' social media accounts.  

The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte received a second grant this year after first being awarded $5 million by the fund in 2018. Deronda Metz, director of social services, said they can use the funding in more flexible ways than the government grants they receive, including to renovate a 100 room hotel, hire additional staff and expand the facility for an on-campus Boys & Girls Club.