Jeff Bezos, the billionaire founder of Amazon.com Inc., has pledged $100 million to help rebuild Maui after its devastating wildfires in August. Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sanchez have already donated $15.5 million through the Bezos Maui Fund, but the recipient organizations have not been named. This lack of transparency is not unique to this donation; Bezos has a history of making philanthropic promises with few specifics. His ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott, on the other hand, has donated over $16.5 billion since their divorce in 2019 and shares a list of recipients on her website.

　　While it is not legally required for donors to disclose where their money is going, Benjamin Soskis, a senior research associate at the Urban Institute’s Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy, argues that Bezos has received the benefits of public attention and thus should provide more information. A spokesperson for Bezos stated that the remaining $84.5 million pledged to help Maui "will be distributed in the coming years as the continuing needs reveal themselves."

　　Bezos has a pattern of keeping his future giving vague as well. He stated in a 2022 interview with CNN that he planned to give away the majority of his then-$124 billion fortune during his lifetime, but did not specify potential recipients or a timeline. He has since added over $52 billion to his net worth.

　　Despite Bezos and Sanchez's pledge being the most significant commitment to help Maui, it is unclear when and where the promised money has been distributed. Local officials and nonprofits on the island have expressed disappointment in the lack of information and collaboration. Oprah Winfrey, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and MacKenzie Scott are among other wealthy residents who have promised to chip in. The People's Fund of Maui, started by Winfrey and Johnson, has distributed about $40 million directly to more than 8,100 people. Scott also donated $5 million to the Hawaii Community Foundation.