Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN) founder Jeff Bezos is donating another $10 million to the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) for the expansion of the center that bears his name.
The Bezos Center for Innovation, which opened in 2013 with an initial $10 million donation from Bezos, will be renovated to include a learning center. MOHAI said the donation will allow for more interactive storytelling; the creation of an innovation classroom and an innovation hub for students and community members; and a "definitive collection" of archives and objects from Seattle's history of innovation.
The center not only serves as an interactive journey through Seattle's history of innovation but as a resource for young people. More than 1 million people, including hundreds of thousands of students, have visited since 2013, according to the museum. That's hundreds of thousands of students who have been exposed to exhibits that walk them through how to grow ideas into businesses — like Amazon and other Seattle-area companies.
"At a time of profound challenges and unprecedented opportunities, innovation in all facets of human endeavor is key to building strong, sustainable communities," said MOHAI executive director Leonard Garfield in a news release.
The expansion will take over three years, according to the museum.
The gift from Bezos comes almost a year after his historic gift to another museum — $200 million to the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution. MOHAI is a Smithsonian affiliate.
