Jeff Bezos Is Investing $60M in Plant-Based Meat Research

The billionaire’s Bezos Earth Fund will use the funds to improve the quality, taste and cost of sustainable protein products.

The Bezos Earth Fund, a philanthropic organization launched by billionaire Jeff Bezos in 2020, is ramping up its commitment to food system transformations with a $60 million investment in alternative protein.

The funds will establish the Bezos Centers for Sustainable Protein, a series of research centers focused on boosting the quality and nutritional benefits of sustainable protein products. The initiative also aims to enhance the flavor and texture of alternative meat, in addition to bringing down prices—two challenges alternative meat startups have had to overcome. “Their inventions will make plant-based lab-grown meats cheaper, healthier and tastier,” said Lauren Sánchez, Bezos’s fiancée and vice chair of the Bezos Earth Fund, while announcing the investment at the Aspen Ideas climate conference on March 12.

The investment is part of the organization’s $1 billion commitment to food transformation, which has previously seen grants given to projects related to methane emission reductions, the potential of seaweed farming and alternatives to crop-burning, among others. The Bezos Earth Fund additionally supports nature conservation, environmental justice and decarbonization efforts and reports having given a total of $2 billion through more than 230 grants since its founding in 2020. As announced by Bezos during its launch, the organization plans to give out $10 billion by 2030—which would make it the largest-ever philanthropic commitment to fight climate change.