The Bezos Earth Fund, chaired by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, with Lauren Sanchez Bezos serving as vice chair, has committed $4.8 million over three years to support 48 climate and nature solutions nominated for the Earthshot Prize but not selected as finalists. Announced on February 4, 2026, the initiative is a collaboration between the Bezos Earth Fund and the Earthshot Prize to help promising environmental projects expand their operations and increase their impact. The programme will support 16 organisations each year, with each organisation in the first cohort receiving $100,000. The selected organisations work across areas including carbon removal, wildlife conservation, ecosystem restoration and sustainable technology. The initiative aims to extend funding opportunities beyond the prize’s annual finalists and winners.
Bezos Earth Fund commits $4.8 million to climate and nature solutions
The three-year partnership will draw from the Earthshot Prize’s global pool of nominees who did not make the final shortlist. The Bezos Earth Fund will provide $4.8 million in total, supporting 16 organisations annually with grants of $100,000 each.The funding is intended to help selected organisations scale their work and reach more communities, ecosystems and industries. The initiative brings together the Earthshot Prize’s international network of environmental innovators and the Bezos Earth Fund’s philanthropic resources to help promising solutions progress beyond their existing scale.Dr Kelly Levin, chief of science, data and systems change at the Bezos Earth Fund, said promising innovations often remain small when the world needs them to expand. She said the partnership could help these ideas grow into solutions capable of delivering wider environmental benefits.Jason Knauf, chief executive of the Earthshot Prize, said the prize’s wider nomination pool represents a global pipeline of environmental innovators and potential solutions. The collaboration will allow the organisations to support additional projects beyond the prize’s annual selection process.
The first 16 organisations selected for funding
The first cohort includes organisations working on carbon removal, cleaner industrial processes, wildlife protection, habitat restoration and other environmental challenges. Each will receive $100,000 to help expand its operations and amplify its impact.1. Air Protein, Inc.Air Protein develops alternative proteins using microorganisms and processes that use carbon dioxide as a feedstock. Its approach explores ways to produce protein without relying entirely on conventional agriculture and livestock farming.2. Climatenza SolarClimatenza Solar is among the first cohort of selected organisations. Its inclusion places it within the initiative’s wider effort to support climate-focused innovation, although the announcement does not specify the particular solar technology or project the grant will support.3. Instituto Floresta VivaInstituto Floresta Viva is a Brazilian environmental organisation associated with Atlantic Forest conservation and restoration. Its work provides a nature-restoration angle within a programme designed to help environmental solutions expand.4. Forum Konservasi LeuserForum Konservasi Leuser works on protecting the Leuser Ecosystem in Indonesia, an important rainforest landscape in Sumatra that provides habitat for threatened wildlife. Its conservation work is linked to safeguarding forests and biodiversity.5. Fundación Rewilding ArgentinaThe Argentine conservation organisation works to protect and restore ecosystems, recover native wildlife and establish protected areas. Its projects include rewilding initiatives and efforts to reconnect habitats while supporting local economies linked to nature.6. Hyperion RoboticsHyperion Robotics develops robotic construction technology designed to reduce waste and the carbon footprint of infrastructure. Its approach focuses on improving how concrete foundations are designed and built, including for energy and industrial infrastructure.7. InPlanetInPlanet works on enhanced rock weathering, a carbon-removal approach that involves spreading finely crushed silicate rock on agricultural land to accelerate natural chemical reactions that remove carbon dioxide. The process can also improve soil conditions by releasing minerals and helping correct soil acidity.8. LassoLasso is associated with technology for recovering and recycling materials, including plastics. Its work offers a potential route to reducing waste and recovering resources that would otherwise be discarded.9. Mandai NatureBased in Singapore, Mandai Nature supports wildlife conservation and ecosystem protection, particularly in Southeast Asia. It works with local organisations and other partners to protect threatened species, restore habitats and support communities involved in conservation.10. Mati CarbonMati Carbon uses enhanced rock weathering to remove carbon dioxide while working with farmers. Its approach involves spreading natural rock dust on agricultural land, where it can help improve soil conditions and support durable carbon removal.11. MERMAIDMERMAID operates a digital platform that helps scientists and conservation practitioners collect, manage and share coral reef monitoring data. The information can support research and decisions about reef conservation and management.12. Asociación Conservacionista Misión TiburónThis Costa Rican conservation organisation focuses on marine life, including shark conservation. Its work is associated with protecting threatened marine species and promoting the conservation of ocean ecosystems.13. Simple PlanetSimple Planet is among the selected organisations working within the climate and nature innovation landscape. The funding announcement does not specify the precise solution or project for which it will use the grant.14. Snowchange CooperativeSnowchange Cooperative works with Indigenous peoples and local communities on ecological restoration, biodiversity protection and the preservation of traditional knowledge. Its work includes community-led efforts to protect and restore northern ecosystems.15. tHEMEat CompanytHEMEat Company is included in the first cohort of environmental innovators. Its specific grant-funded activities are not detailed in the announcement, so the precise technology or solution being supported remains to be established from further project information.16. UP CatalystUP Catalyst develops technologies that use captured carbon dioxide to produce carbon materials, including graphite and carbon nanotubes. Its approach explores ways to turn carbon into useful industrial materials rather than allowing it to remain in the atmosphere.The first cohort spans different approaches to environmental challenges, from carbon removal and alternative proteins to conservation and construction technology. The $100,000 grants are intended to help each selected organisation expand its work, although the announcement does not provide individual spending plans or quantified impact targets for all 16 recipients.
The significance of the Earthshot Prize partnership
Founded by Prince William in 2020, the Earthshot Prize aims to identify and scale solutions to five major environmental challenges: protecting and restoring nature, cleaning the air, reviving the oceans, building a waste-free world and fixing the climate.The prize selects 15 finalists each year, with five winners receiving £1 million each. Its wider nomination pool, however, includes many other organisations working on environmental problems that do not reach the final stage.The Bezos Earth Fund partnership creates an additional funding route for selected nominees outside the finalist group. Rather than concentrating support only on the annual finalists and winners, the initiative aims to help other promising projects develop and expand their reach.The collaboration reflects the view that environmental innovation can emerge from a wide range of sources, including research organisations, technology developers, conservation groups and local communities. Providing additional funding may help selected projects move beyond their current scale and reach more people or ecosystems.
The Bezos Earth Fund’s wider environmental mission
Jeff Bezos announced the creation of the Bezos Earth Fund in 2020, committing $10 billion to efforts addressing climate change and protecting nature. The fund supports work with organisations around the world on environmental protection, restoration and the development of climate solutions.The partnership with the Earthshot Prize forms part of this broader philanthropic effort. By supporting selected nominees who did not become finalists, the initiative seeks to expand the pool of environmental innovators receiving financial support.The programme will run over three years, with 16 organisations selected annually. Its overall objective is to help promising climate and nature solutions grow beyond their existing operations and contribute to wider environmental progress.