Hope Solutions has received a $5 million grant from Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez through the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund. This donation is the largest gift in the organization’s history.
“We are humbled to be recognized by the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund for our work toward ending homelessness. There are times when the problem can seem insurmountable, but we know that coupling permanent housing and individualized service transforms lives and ends the cycle of poverty,” said Deanne Pearn, CEO of Hope Solutions. “This grant will be a catalyst for Hope Solutions to achieve our vision of a place where everyone has a place to call home and the support of a strong community to reach their full potential.”
Family homelessness in the U.S. rose dramatically from 2022 to 2023, and families now represent more than 28 percent of the country’s homeless population, according to a 2024 report from the National Alliance to End Homelessness. With its one-time Day 1 Families Fund grant, Hope Solutions will work to reverse this national trend by serving families experiencing homelessness in Contra Costa County.
Specifically, Hope Solutions will use the funds to kickstart our growth goals as outlined in our strategic plan to increase permanent housing solutions by 50%, build new affordable housing and increase organizational capacity to house as many families as possible with the most effective services to support long-term success.
A group of national advisors who are leading experts on family homelessness and its solutions, including the intersection of homelessness and housing policy, child welfare, racial equity and service provision, identified the organizations selected for funding.
“Hope Solutions changed my and my children’s lives. I am a true testament to the power of their program and services,” said Justine R., a former Hope Solutions client and now a social worker in our community. “From being homeless, to earning a bachelor’s and then master’s degree, to being able to buy a home—I wouldn’t be where I am today, with a thriving family and career, without Hope Solutions’ support every step of the way.”
Since 2018, the Day 1 Families Fund has awarded 248 grants totaling nearly $750 million to organizations serving families in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The grants are uniquely flexible and enable organizations to support families experiencing homelessness—including those who are unsheltered or staying in shelters—to regain safe, stable housing and achieve well-being.
The full list of awardees is available here.
About the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund
Launched in 2018, the Bezos Day One Fund made a $2 billion commitment to focus on making meaningful and lasting impacts in two areas: funding existing nonprofits that help families experiencing homelessness, and creating a network of new, nonprofit tier-one preschools in low-income communities. The Bezos Day 1 Families Fund issues annual leadership awards to organizations and civic groups doing compassionate, needle-moving work to help families experiencing homelessness—including those who are unsheltered or staying in shelters—regain safe, stable housing and achieve well-being. The vision statement comes from the inspiring Mary’s Place in Seattle: no child sleeps outside. For more information, visit www.BezosDayOneFund.org/Day1FamiliesFund.
Check out this interview with Lauren Sánchez from the Today Show, discussing her philanthropy: https://www.today.com/video/lauren-sanchez-on-giving-back-wedding-plans-trip-to-space-more-224964677986