Helping to ensure greater opportunity for everyone is at the center of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s United States Program. The primary goal for our work in this country is to increase attainment of secondary and postsecondary education with genuine economic value. The foundation is particularly concerned with improving access to quality educational opportunities for low-income and minority students.
We see education as the gateway to increased opportunity—the “great equalizer of the conditions of men,” as Horace Mann wrote more than 150 years ago during the formative years of American public education. When people are given opportunities to develop their potential, our society thrives.
As a philanthropic organization, we identify severe inequities that have not received the attention needed and where we believe we can have the greatest impact. First we rely on research to understand what works and then we go where the evidence takes us. We work with partners from across the country in support of solutions that have potential for sustainable impact at scale—a leading-edge idea or an old idea applied in a new way.
We also advocate building public and political will for change. We use our voice appropriately to raise awareness of important issues. If enough leaders and citizens demand that our country prioritizes helping those with the greatest needs and the fewest resources, progress will come quickly.
Ultimately, no single person or organization can solve the problems that face our country. Great ideas must be well supported and financed over time so the solutions are sustained and accessible to all who need them. As a private funder, the foundation can be a catalyst for change, working with partners to seed and accelerate the adoption of promising solutions and sharing lessons learned. But to ensure that America lives up to its promise of equal opportunity, all of us—foundations, governments, businesses, and citizens—must do our part. The challenges we face are overwhelming and wide-ranging, but we are optimistic that we can work together and improve the odds for millions of young people to live healthy, productive lives.
We look forward to working with you in communities across the country to spread opportunity for all.
Allan Golston
President, United States Program