Q: What is the purpose of the program advisory panels?
A: We created advisory panels as a part of our ongoing effort to seek the counsel of outside voices who can help us increase our impact. Panel members are experts with a range of experiences and perspectives. They work directly with our program presidents and offer them independent, frank assessments of our strategies and help us evaluate results. Each of our panels focuses on the work of a single program (Global Development, Global Health, or United States).
Q: How often will each panel meet, and how long will the members serve?
A: Each of the panels will meet twice a year. Members commit to serve on the panel for three years, although a panel member or program president may decide on a shorter term.
Q: Do the panels report directly to Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett?
A: No. The panels provide guidance directly to the program presidents.
Q: How will the trustees hear panel feedback?
A: After each meeting, the panel chair and program president prepare a joint report that summarizes the meeting discussion and other relevant guidance.
Q: Do advisors have decision-making authority?
A: No. The panels are advisory in nature.
Q: Will advisors give advice on grant proposals?
A: No. The panels do not review or make decisions about specific grant proposals or renewals.
Q: How will you address potential conflicts of interest?
A: Our priority is to select panel members who have the expertise and experience to help advance our work. It's possible, given the relationships we have built in our respective fields of work, that some of our advisors will be connected in some way to our grantees.
We require members to disclose on an ongoing basis any activities they are engaged in related to the foundation or our grantees. Panel members are required to disclose any potential conflict of interest that arises to the panel chair and the program president immediately. They may be asked to recuse themselves from all discussions and recommendations regarding the matter.
The chair and the program president manage recusals and may grant temporary absences to members who are closely associated with a grantee or who raise other conflicts of interest.