Actor and entrepreneur Eva Longoria is one of two recipients of the 2024 Courage and Civility Award, which is given by Jeff Bezos and his fiancée, Lauren Sánchez, “to people who try to find solutions to complicated problems, attempt to be uniters, and embrace civility,” per CNN. During a ceremony on March 14 in New York City, Longoria and Bill McRaven, a retired Navy admiral and former chancellor of the University of Texas System, received $50 million each for their contributions to society.
Commentator Van Jones and chef José Andrés were the recipients of the inaugural award in 2021, and each received $100 million. In 2022 Dolly Parton received $100 million. There was no award given in 2023.
Longoria launched the Eva Longoria Foundation in 2012 with the aim of “unlocking the full potential of Latinas,” per the organization's website. “Our mission is to help Latinas build better futures for themselves and their families through education and entrepreneurship.”
Speaking to CNN, Longoria said she's “excited about the impact I think we can have on this country through/by investing in the strength of the Latino community. Latinos in the US are a rapidly growing group with extraordinary potential, but we disproportionately lack the infrastructure opportunity we need and I’m excited to invest in that opportunity.”
McRaven plans to invest his winnings in veterans and their families, particularly in the areas of education and mental health care.
Bezos has previously stated that he plans to donate most of his wealth during his lifetime. (His estimated net worth in March 2024 is nearly $200 billion.) CNN notes, however, that neither he nor Sánchez have signed the Giving Pledge, which is a commitment by the world's richest people to give away most of their wealth to charity. The couple's previous donations, as well as their insistence on charity, have been highly scrutinized.
