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Jackie and Mike Bezos and the Bezos Family Foundation to Receive the Laurie M. Tisch Award in Recognition of their Innovative Educational Programs and Philanthropic Efforts

New York, NY — August 20, 2018 — Children’s Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) Board Co-chairs Shannon Bauer Aronson and Matt Messinger today announced that Jackie and Mike Bezos and the Bezos Family Foundation will be honored at the institution’s upcoming gala on October 30, 2018. The event will celebrate how children benefit from inspired learning environments and programs, reflecting the work of both the Children’s Museum and the Bezos Family Foundation. Jackie and Mike Bezos and the Bezos Family Foundation will receive the Laurie M. Tisch Award in recognition of their commitment to helping young people, from birth through high school, to reach their full potential and ultimately become active and meaningful contributors to society. The celebratory fundraising evening, co-chaired by halley k harrisburg and Laurie M. Tisch, will take place at The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers, Pier 61, in New York City.

The Laurie M. Tisch Award is presented annually to an individual or family who exemplifies the civic spirit; visionary leadership in education, arts, culture and/or health; and philanthropic commitment to positive social change for children and families by the Children’s Museum’s Founding Board Chair and Capital Campaign Co-chair Laurie M. Tisch. This year, Wes Moore, Chief Executive Officer of Robin Hood will join Ms. Tisch in presenting the award.

“Jackie and Mike Bezos, with their creation of the Bezos Family Foundation, have fashioned a wonderful model for family philanthropy,” said Ms. Tisch, who is also President of the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund. “Their innovative programs, including Vroom and Mind in the Making, reflect their extraordinary commitment to the science of learning and to improving life outcomes for children in New York City and in communities across the globe. We are also grateful for their transformational leadership gift for the new Children’s Museum of Manhattan.”

In late 2017 the Children’s Museum purchased 361 Central Park West, the former First Church of Christ, Scientist, a 1903 building designed by Carrère and Hastings. The new space, expected to open by 2022, will allow the organization to serve twice the number of people it currently does and offer twice the exhibition space available at its 212 West 83^rd Street site.

“We are honored and humbled by this recognition,” said Jackie Bezos, president of the Bezos Family Foundation. “When our family started the Bezos Family Foundation 17 years ago, we began with the belief that early investments in children would benefit us all. The Children’s Museum of Manhattan shares this belief, and a strong commitment to using the science of learning and development in designing their programs and exhibits. Their commitment to bringing quality programming beyond their four walls and out into the community to better serve children and families is truly remarkable.”

Past recipients of the Laurie M. Tisch Award include philanthropists and owners of the Michael Rosenfeld Gallery halley k harrisburg and Michael Rosenfeld. Ms. harrisburg is also co-chair of the museum’s capital campaign and served as the organization’s board chair for more than a decade. Other award-winners include Pulitzer Prize-winning author Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee; artist and MacArthur Genius Fellow, Sarah Sze; education philanthropists and former NY Giant, Lauran and Justin Tuck; and Renée Edelman and the Edelman Family, for their multi-generational commitment to philanthropy.

Each year the Children’s Museum Gala brings together over 400 philanthropists and supporters. Funds raised at the event support the organization’s operating costs which include offering free museum admission to over 50,000 people through Head Start programs in low-income neighborhoods as well as through direct service programs with NYC homeless shelters, libraries, schools and hospitals.

For additional information and to purchase tickets to the Children’s Museum of Manhattan’s gala, visit https://cmom.org/gala/.

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About Children’s Museum of Manhattan

The non-profit Children’s Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) —a citywide resource for children, families, and educators—creates experiences at the intersection of the arts, sciences, and humanities to help children thrive at home, at school, and in the community. The museum offers hands-on learning environments, programs, and curriculums built on evidence-based early childhood research and the museum sciences. It also provides tools and strategies for parents, caregivers, and educators to help children become lifelong learners. In addition to delighting more than 350,000 visitors annually at its 212 West 83rd Street location, hundreds of thousands of New York’s children benefit from the museum’s offerings through its outreach programs at schools, Head Start centers, homeless shelters, libraries, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. In 2017, CMOM purchased 361 Central Park West. The new site is expected to open in late 2021. www.cmom.org

About the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund

The Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund (LMTIF) is a New York City-based foundation that strives to improve access and opportunity for all New Yorkers. Founded in 2007 by philanthropist Laurie M. Tisch, the Illumination Fund plays an active role in supporting innovative approaches to education, the arts, healthy food and civic service in order to illuminate strategies that transform our urban landscape. For more information about the Illumination Fund, visit: http://www.lmtilluminationfund.org/

About Bezos Family Foundation

The Bezos Family Foundation believes young people are born with potential and deserve the experiences needed to learn and thrive. Its programs and funding are guided by the science of learning and aim to transform how we support all young people—especially those furthest from opportunity—to have impact in a rapidly changing world. The Bezos Family Foundation is an independent, nonprofit private Foundation created by Jackie and Mike Bezos, who along with their family, serve as the Foundation’s directors. Current programs include the Bezos Scholars Program, Mind in the Making, Students Rebuild, and Vroom.