Chum receives largest ever private gift of $2.5 million

DULUTH, Minn. —  Chum has received a $2.5 million grant from Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos Day 1 Families Fund.

32 other organizations across the country, including Chum, received a total of $102.5 million through the program.

Chum says the investment is the largest private gift in the nonprofit’s history.

 “We are so pleased to have been invited to apply for this grant,” said John Cole, executive director of Chum. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime gift that will certainly change the trajectory of many lives.”

Officials say they will use the grant over the next five years to expand their Emergency Family Shelter and support services for parents and programs for children as they move toward stability.