NEW YORK — Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos says he will start a $2 billion charitable fund to help homeless families and open new preschools in low-income neighborhoods.

"MacKenzie and I share a belief in the potential for hard work from anyone to serve others," Bezos stated in a tweet, referring to his wife, MacKenzie Bezos.

Bezos, the wealthiest person on the planet, whose stake in Amazon is currently worth about $160 billion, says he'll call it the Bezos Day One Fund. An Amazon.com Inc. spokeswoman said the $2 billion will all come from Bezos.

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Bezos made the announcement Thursday in a tweet and a post on his Instagram account.

Bezos and Amazon's board of directors are convening in Washington, D.C., this week ahead of a series of high-profile appearances for Bezos, who also is the owner of the Washington Post, among other personal properties.

The company leadership's capital tour comes amid speculation about whether the retailing giant might soon reveal its decision on where to locate a second headquarters employing some 50,000 people. It also comes as tech giants like Amazon face the threat of tougher regulations to protect consumer privacy and complaints from the Republican-controlled Congress and White House over alleged liberal bias influencing how their offerings are presented to consumers.