The Bezos Earth Fund began in 2020 and is guided by Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos
The Bezos Earth Fund is committing more than $25 million to ocean conservation projects across five Pacific nations. This covers more than 625,000 square miles of ocean, an area larger than Alaska. Noatbly, the funding is part of a larger $100 million commitment announced by the Bezos Earth Fund in 2023 to support the Pacific-led Unlocking Blue Pacific Prosperity initiative. With the latest grants, the fund, founded by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos , says it has now committed $63.3 million towards that pledge. The UN High Seas Treaty entered into force in January 2026, creating a legal pathway for countries to establish marine protected areas in international waters. The latest funding goes back to a commitment made by the Bezos Earth Fund at COP28 in 2023. At the time, the fund announced plans to provide up to $100 million to help Pacific Island leaders design and implement their Unlocking Blue Pacific Prosperity conservation plan. The latest announcement marks the second round of funding under that $100 million commitment. The Earth Fund announced seven grants worth $37.5 million in 2025. With the new grants, its total funding under the Pacific commitment has reached $63.3 million. More Pacific countries are now involved With the latest round, 17 of the Pacific’s 22 countries and territories are now working on efforts to protect or sustainably manage their waters, according to the Bezos Earth Fund.
As stated in the official announcement, the latest funding will support conservation efforts in the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Tonga and Vanuatu, as well as plans for marine protected areas in international waters. The new grants will support different ocean conservation projects in five countries mentioned above. Notably, the latest donation by Jeff Bezos owned organization is not limited to waters controlled by individual countries. A separate grant to Rare will support Pacific governments in developing some of the world’s first proposals for marine protected areas on the high seas.