Lauren Sanchez is an American media personality who has worked in television and film as a news anchor, journalist, reporter, and actress. In 2016, she founded Black Ops Aviation, the first female-owned and operated aerial film and production company. ¹ Sanchez is vice chair of Bezos Earth Fund and is a supporter of This is About Humanity. She is deeply involved in Bezos Day One Fund and the Bezos Academy. ²

Sanchez is known for her relationship with billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. In 2018, it was reported that the two were dating. ³ In 2019, Bezos announced his divorce from Mackenzie Scott, and in May 2023, it was announced that Sanchez and Bezos were engaged. ⁴

Career

Lauren Sanchez has been in film and television since she was in college. She started as a journalist intern on the Los Angeles station Channel 13. Her first notable position was her working as an anchor for UPN News on Los Angeles’ KCOP. Sanchez’s main job as a news anchor was on Fox 11’s “Good Day LA” where she worked for six years. She then worked as an anchor and special correspondent on the celebrity news station “Extra.” ⁵

In addition to being an anchor on television, Sanchez worked as an actress in film and television shows. Some notable movies she appeared in are Ted 2, White House Down, We Bought a Zoo, The Longest Yard, and Fight Club. Some notable television shows she acted in are “NCIS,” “Days of Our Lives,” “The Agency,” and “Girlfriends.” ⁶

Philanthropy

Bezos Earth Fund

Lauren Sanchez is the vice chair of the Bezos Earth Fund, an environmentalist grantmaking organization that has pledged over $10 billion in environmental grants by 2030. In 2022 the group announced over $100 million in grants. The Earth Fund granted $30 million to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, including $10 million towards monitoring, data collection, and accountability for connections between climate change and extreme weather. ⁷

The Fund gave $11 million to the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon market and Voluntary Carbon Market Integrity Initiative, as well as $2.35 million for Training Senior Government Official on Climate Action. ⁸ These grants typically involved partners such as Climate Central, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, and the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions. ⁹

This is About Humanity

Sanchez is said to be involved in This is About Humanity, an organization founded in 2018, to deal with issues at the U.S.-Mexico border. The group claims to spread awareness about separated and reunified families at the border. This is About Humanity says it gives migrants access to legal services and material goods for unaccompanied minors and supports construction projects at shelters. ¹⁰

Bezos Day One Fund

The Bezos Day One Fund, with which Sanchez is said to be deeply involved, is a grantmaking organization that aims to reduce homelessness around the United States. Since its inception in 2018, the Fund has granted over $600 million. In 2023, the organization named some of the advisors who help them determine who will receive grants, including Samantha Batko of the Urban Institute, Tiffney Marley of the Community Action Partnership, and Ann Oliva, the CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness. ¹¹

Bezos Academy

The Bezos Academy is a network of preschools, paid for by Jeff Bezos, that uses student-led curriculums. The program claims to meet the child “where they are” and focuses on hitting social, cultural, and emotional goals over formal education. ¹²

1. “Lauren Sánchez.” Bezos Earth Fund. Accessed February 1, 2024. https://www.bezosearthfund.org/who-we-are/our-people/lauren-sanchez#:~:text=Lauren%20S%C3%A1nchez%20is%20an%20Emmy,Black%20Ops%20Aviation%20in%202016
2.  Advisory Board Member, Stanford PACS. “Lauren sánchez .” Stanford PACS, October 10, 2023. https://pacscenter.stanford.edu/person/lauren-sanchez/.
3. Ginsberg, Merle. “Court Docs Reveal Big New Claims in the Jeff Bezos Affair Blowup.” LAmag.com, April 8, 2021. https://lamag.com/featured/jeff-bezos-affair-national-enquirer.
4. Caruso, Skyler. “Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez’s Relationship Timeline.” Peoplemag, January 12, 2024. https://people.com/jeff-bezos-and-lauren-sanchez-relationship-timeline-7503178.
5. Lakritz, Talia. “Meet Lauren Sanchez, the Former News Anchor, Pilot, and Mother of 3 Who’s Engaged to Jeff Bezos.” Business Insider, December 19, 2023. https://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bezos-fiancee-lauren-sanchez-bio-photos-2023-12#shes-even-played-a-news-anchor-in-several-movies-and-tv-shows-2.
6. IMDb. “Lauren Sanchez | Actress, Additional Crew.” IMDb. Accessed February 1, 2024. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0761078/.
7. “Monitoring, Data, & Accountability.” Bezos Earth Fund. Accessed February 1, 2024. https://www.bezosearthfund.org/our-programs/monitoring-data-accountability.
8. “Training Senior Government Officials on Climate Action.” Bezos Earth Fund. Accessed February 1, 2024. https://www.bezosearthfund.org/grants/training-senior-government-officials-climate-action.
9. “Bezos Earth Fund Announces $110 Million to Conserve and Restore…” Bezos Earth Fund, December 14, 2022. https://www.bezosearthfund.org/news-and-insights/bezos-earth-fund-announces-110-million-nature-climate-science-monitoring-governance.
10.  “About.” This Is About Humanity. Accessed February 1, 2024. https://www.thisisabouthumanity.com/about.
11. “Day 1 Families Fund.” Bezos Day One Fund, November 21, 2023. https://www.bezosdayonefund.org/day1familiesfund.
12. “Our Curriculum.” Bezos Academy. Accessed February 1, 2024. https://bezosacademy.org/our-curriculum/.