Amazon donates $2.7 million to help Seattle, Bellevue students

Amazon said Thursday it is donating about $2.7 million to help Seattle and Bellevue schools students and their families.

The company said more than $1.3 million will go to the Alliance for Education, which supports Seattle Public Schools students and families who have inadequate food and shelter, among other needs. Amazon, which has plans for up to 25,000 employees in Bellevue, said more than $1.4 million will go to Bellevue LifeSpring to provide similar support to Bellevue School District students and families.

For both organizations, the support is channeled through a “Right Now Needs Fund,” echoing the name Amazon uses for a broader portfolio focused on childhood hunger and family homelessness. School district staff and school community members can apply for funding on behalf of struggling students and families to pay for a range of necessities, including school supplies, clothing and medical equipment.

Amazon gave $2 million in late 2018 to establish the fund with the Alliance for Education. To help area school students during the coronavirus pandemic and ensuing remote learning, Amazon has donated technology, including laptops and headsets, and dispatched its contract Flex delivery drivers to deliver meals prepared by Seattle Public Schools.

Amazon supports The Seattle Times through the Education Lab project.