Communities
We strive to harness Amazon’s scale and innovative spirit to help build strong communities now and for future generations. We invest in the communities where we live and work, helping to generate economic growth, while working alongside community partners to build impactful programs and create solutions to pressing challenges.
Progress
$3.6Bcommitted through the Housing Equity Fund to preserve and create affordable homes
$32M+incloud computing credits has been distributed to 229 global organizations since 2021 to promote equal access to health resources
3.9Mstudents across seven countries completed 17.8 million learning hours through Amazon Future Engineer programs
Our approach
We focus on several priority areas across our business and respond to emergent needs where we're uniquely positioned to make a positive difference. Our work especially emphasizes historically underrepresented communities, because we envision a world that embraces diverse perspectives and where all individuals have equitable opportunities.
Our community impact efforts are focused on seven key areas:
- Supporting economic impact in communities
- Creating & preserving affordable housing
- Addressing food insecurity & basic needs
- Addressing health equity
- Empowering individuals through education & skills training
- Supporting disaster relief & response efforts
- Funding nature in our communities
Supporting economic impact in communities
To continue serving and innovating for our customers, we invest heavily in the communities where we operate.
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- We’ve made significant investments in the U.S. economy since 2010, contributing more than $880 billion to the national gross domestic product. In 2023 alone, we invested $244 billion in the U.S.Read article, opens in a new tab
- 47% of the people we hired for operations roles in 2023 were unemployed before joining Amazon, and two of every five U.S. jobs we created over the last five years have been in towns with fewer than 50,000 residents. In the last decade, no private company has created more jobs than Amazon.Read article, opens in a new tab
- More than 60% of sales in our store are from independent sellers—most of which are small or medium sized-businesses. In 2023, independent sellers in the U.S. sold more than 4.5 billion items—an average of 8,600 items every minute—and averaged more than $250,000 in annual sales. Selling in our store has enabled independent sellers to employ over 1.8 million people in the U.S.Read article, opens in a new tab
Creating affordable housing
All people should have access to housing they can afford, but many communities in the U.S. are facing an affordable housing shortage, with low-income and minority families disproportionately affected. We’re working to address national housing affordability challenges in the U.S. starting in our hometown communities.
We work with organizations to make housing available for low-to-moderate income households where it's needed most, including near public transit and in historically diverse, underserved communities.
Goal
Progress
$2.2B
Addressing food insecurity and basic needs
We strive to bring healthy, affordable food to our communities through our delivery service providers, donations, funding, and partnerships with organizations helping individuals and families faced with food insecurity. In partnership with local food banks, we’re scaling our food redistribution efforts to contribute to food security in local communities.
Learn more, opens in a new tab
$10M+meals delivered from food banks and local organizations to households in need in 2023
100%of our grocery facilities in North America and Europe partner with a local food bank
$250K+donated to Feeding America to increase food security in the U.S.
Whole Foods programs
Empowering individuals through education
Upskilling
In 2020, we pledged to help 29 million people around the world grow their technical skills with free cloud computing skills training by 2025. More than a year ahead of schedule, we surpassed this ambitious goal.31M
people across 200 countries and territories supported since 2020AI Ready
2M
people to be provided with free artificial intelligence (AI) skills training by 2025Amazon Future Engineer
Our global childhood-to-career computer science program was created to inspire and educate thousands of students each year from underserved and underrepresented communities. Students explore computer science by meeting Amazon employees in virtual live career talks or exploring our real-world innovations.3.9M
students completed 17.8 million learning hours through Amazon Future Engineer programs in 2023Discover program, opens in a new tab
Supporting disaster relief and response
We mobilize the full breadth of our infrastructure, cloud technology, and global logistics network to help communities affected by natural disasters. Disaster Relief by Amazon delivers rapid logistics and inventory, while AWS Disaster Response delivers information through access to connectivity and data.
Global disaster relief hubs within our fulfillment centers in the U.S., Europe, Japan, and Australia store ready-to-ship essential items that are most needed following natural disasters and other emergencies, including shelter and shelter-repair materials, hygiene supplies, medical equipment, and basic household items.
In 2023, we donated more than 2 million items in response to 44 disaster-related events around the globe.
May 17, 20243 min
Flooding in Brazil: What Amazon is doing to help Rio Grande do Sul, opens in a new tab
Amazon is providing resources and support to help more than 3,000 families in the affected regions.
March 14, 20244 min
Amazon opens its first Disaster Relief Hub in Europe to support communities impacted by natural disasters, opens in a new tab
Amazon Disaster Relief Hubs in the U.S., Asia, and Australia have responded to more than 145 natural disasters and humanitarian crises, donating more than 24 million relief items around the world.
July 12, 20246 min
I’ve helped Amazon deliver more than 23 million disaster relief items around the world. Here’s an inside look at how we respond when disaster strikes., opens in a new tab
Abe Diaz, principal technical product manager for Disaster Relief by Amazon, shares how his team helps communities after hurricanes, earthquakes, and other disasters.
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Funding nature in our communities
Addressing health equity
AWS Health Equity Initiative
AWS has already awarded over $32 million and supported 229 global organizations.
