The Gates Foundation plans to give away more than $200 billion by 2045, when it closes.
By The New Obs with AFP
Published on
Billionaire Bill Gates in Jakarta, Indonesia, on May 7, 2025. ACHMAD IBRAHIM/AP/SIPA
Billionaire Bill Gates announced on Thursday, May 8, that he will donate the bulk of his remaining fortune to the Gates Foundation, which he has set a goal of spending "more than $200 billion" by 2045, the date of its final closure.
"A lot can be done in 20 years," the Microsoft co-founder explained in an open letter about his foundation, which fights poverty and disease. "I want to make sure the world moves forward during that time."
Since its inception in 2000, the foundation has spent $53.8 billion on various projects, primarily focused on public health, education, and development. At the end of 2024, the Gates Foundation's net assets stood at $71.3 billion. For the current year, it has set a budget of $8.7 billion.
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In early February, Bill Gates told the BBC that he had already donated more than $100 billion to charities, including around $60 billion to his foundation. Forbes magazine estimates his remaining fortune at around $113 billion.
Fight against infant mortality and infectious diseasesDivorced from Bill Gates in 2021 , Melinda French Gates left the foundation in 2024. Previously called the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the non-profit organization was renamed the Gates Foundation.
The foundation helps fund the World Health Organization (WHO), the Global Polio Initiative (GPEI), and the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi). Its endowment has been secured through donations from Melinda French Gates, Bill Gates, and entrepreneur Warren Buffett, head of the Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate.
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