Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.
Grantmaking Areas
We also have a small Charitable Sector Support initiative.
Locations
- Headquarters – Seattle, Washington
- East Coast Office – Washington, D.C.
- India Office – Delhi, India
- China Office – Beijing, China
- Europe Office – London, United Kingdom
Leadership
- Bill Gates, Co-chair
- Melinda Gates, Co-chair
- William H. Gates Sr., Co-chair
- Jeff Raikes, Chief Executive Officer
- Warren Buffett, Trustee
- Allan C. Golston, President, United States Program
- Chris Elias, President, Global Development
- Trevor Mundel, President, Global Health Program
- Richard Henriques, Chief Financial Officer, Operations
- Connie Collingsworth, General Counsel
- Martha Choe, Chief Administrative Officer
- Geoff Lamb, President, Global Policy & Advocacy
- Kate James, Chief Communications Officer
- Dale Christian, Chief Information Officer
- Kurt Fischer, Chief Human Resources Officer
- Patty Stonesifer, Senior Advisor to the Trustees
- Global Development Program Team
- Global Health Program Team
- United States Program Team
- Global Policy & Advocacy Team
- Operations Team
Statistics
Current number of foundation employees: 1,116(1)
Asset Trust Endowment: $36.4 billion(2)(1)
Total grant payments since inception: $26.1 billion (1)
Total 2011 grant payments: $3.4 billion(3)
Total 2012 grant payments: $3.4 billion(4)
Geographic Reach
The foundation supports grantees in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Internationally, we support work in more than 100 countries.
Illustrative Grant Commitments
- GAVI Alliance, expanding childhood immunization: $1.5 billion
- United Negro College Fund, Gates Millennium Scholars Program: $1.37 billion
- PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI): $456 million
- Rotary International, supporting polio eradication: $355 million
- Intensive Partnerships for Effective Teaching, supporting plans to transform how teachers are recruited, developed, rewarded, and retained: $290 million
- Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), improving seeds and soil for African farmers: $264.5 million
- Save the Children, saving newborn lives: $112 million
- United Way of King County: $85 million
- World Food Programme increasing small farmer income: $66 million
- TechnoServe, helping small coffee farmers improve crops and fetch higher prices: $46.9 million
- Heifer International, helping small farmers grow local and regional dairy markets: $43 million
- Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI), a coalition of countries from the developing world making savings accounts, insurance, and other financial services available to people living on less than $2 a day: $35 million
- Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP), testing and promoting the use of information and communications technologies to deliver microfinance products: $24 million
- Achieve, Inc. and the American Diploma Project Network, assisting states in aligning high school standards with the expectations of college and career: $23 million
- Opportunity Online Program, multiple library systems: $22.9 million
- Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia, supporting the installation of public computers with Internet access, training for staff, and implementation support for public libraries: $19.8 million
- Opportunity International Inc. , developing and expanding a network of commercial banks in Africa: $15.4 million
- Gateway to College, expanding a program that enables colleges to serve students who need remedial academic help: $7.28 million
- Building Changes, helping create the Washington Families Fund and supporting efforts in King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties to reduce family homelessness: $17.5 million
(1) As of December 31, 2012
(2) Endowment includes $1.6 billion from the first installment of the gift from Warren Buffett recorded August 24, 2006, the second installment of $1.76 billion recorded on July 11, 2007, the third installment of $1.8 billion recorded on July 1, 2008, the fourth installment of $1.25 billion recorded on July 1, 2009, the fifth installment of $1.6 billion recorded on July 1, 2010, the sixth installment of $1.5 billion recorded on July 7, 2011, the seventh installment of $1.5 billion recorded on July 6, 2012.
(3) Figure includes other direct charitable contributions of $170 million.
(4) Figure includes other direct charitable contributions of $230 million.