Jeff Bezos and wife award $5 million to advance neurodiversity education

Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, are awarding $5 million to a leading advocate for neurodiversity education, spotlighting efforts to make classrooms more inclusive for students with learning differences.

The grant comes amid continued philanthropic activity by the Amazon founder, whose net worth stands near $240 billion, according to Forbes. 

The recognition goes to David Flink, founder and chief executive of the Neurodiversity Alliance, who is among this year’s recipients of the Bezos Courage & Civility Award. 

The annual honour, launched in 2021, supports individuals working on under-addressed social challenges and provides unrestricted funding to advance their missions.

Flink credited the award to the collective impact of students and educators involved in the organization’s work. 

He said the grant reinforces the idea that sustained, everyday efforts can lead to meaningful change at scale.

The Neurodiversity Alliance began more than 25 years ago as a peer-to-peer mentoring initiative and has since grown into a national network serving more than 600 high schools and colleges. 

Its programs support students with autism, ADHD, dyslexia and other learning differences, encouraging schools to adopt more flexible and inclusive teaching models.