Foundation employees share personal stories at the Ignite storytelling session during the Annual Employee Meeting at the Gates Foundation in Seattle, Washington, on May 9, 2023.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion

The Gates Foundation was founded on a simple premise: that people everywhere, regardless of identity or circumstances, should have the chance to live healthy, productive lives. We are working toward a future that is more diverse, equitable, and inclusive for all. When the ability to enjoy good health, secure greater educational outcomes, and move and stay out of poverty is unimpeded by race, gender, or other human differences, we will be living in that future.

Our three organizational priorities are to achieve Impact First, measured in our programmatic goals by lives saved and improved, which is underpinned by a High-Integrity Culture and thinking and acting as One Global Foundation. We cannot achieve any of these without embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion as fundamental principles and practices across all of our work.

We will:

  1. Achieve the impact we want to have in the world by actively listening to our partners and the communities they work within and serve, investing in and elevating their voices and ideas
  2. Create a workplace culture that recognizes and values all backgrounds, voices, roles, and contributions
  3. Foster practices to help us build a workforce enriched by a wide array of skills, experiences, and perspectives—empowered and supported to perform at their highest potential
  4. Hold our leaders accountable for skill-based hiring, promotion, and development of exceptional candidates, with a broad range of views, experience and ideas, building teams and modeling behaviors consistent with our values and aligned with our mission to improve health and human potential
Our priorities

Our priorities

We developed our first strategic framework for diversity, equity and inclusion in 2021 and conducted a strategy refresh in 2024, which affirms our commitment to the role DEI plays in our efforts to achieve global impact. Our strategy going forward will focus on three key priorities:

  • Engaging more effectively across differences and contexts. This includes strengthening competencies, tools, and supports needed to collaborate inclusively, whether navigating cultural differences or working across our global matrixed organization.
  • Better equipping our organization to forge partnerships for impact. We will strengthen that impact by providing clearer guidance and resources for investment makers and by ensuring that our partners feel supported, valued, and respected and that communities get what they need to thrive.
  • Shared expectations. Clarity on commitment to drive impact, recognize and value all backgrounds, voices, roles, and contributions, and regularly reflect and learn to sustain progress towards our organizational goals and commitments.
Our growing global workforce

Our growing global workforce

Since our establishment, we have grown from one office in Seattle to offices in Washington, D.C., Berlin, London, Delhi, Beijing, Abuja, Addis Ababa, Dakar, Johannesburg, and Nairobi. With that growth our workforce has expanded to include people from more than 80 countries, all of whom have a deep understanding of the issues we care about and communities in which we aim to make a difference, and who bring their unique life experience and cultural background to the work we do with partners and grantees.

  • 9 global offices*
  • 89 nationalities represented among our employees
  • 17% of employees work outside of U.S.
  • 12% average annual growth rate in employees based outside the U.S. (2021-2025)
  • 58% growth in employees based outside the U.S. (2021-2025)

*Defined as offices outside the United States. The foundation has two U.S. offices, in Seattle and in Washington, D.C., for a total of eleven.

Employee Resource Groups

Employee Resource Groups

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are foundation-supported, employee-run internal communities that are open to all employees. Our first five ERGs were established in 2013. Since then, the number has grown to 14, each providing critical connections, learning opportunities, and perspectives that support our culture and community. 
Africa Employee Resource Group
Allies for Racial Justice
Black Philanthripic Partnership
Cultural Confluence
DC Inclusion Council
Disabilities Advocacy Group
Gates Asians in Philanthropy
Jewish Cultural Connection
Latinos in Philanthropy
Native American Networks and Allies
Out for Good and Allies
Women of Color Connect
Women+ Connect
Working Parents and Caregivers
More about the foundation

More about the foundation

Culture and values

We believe that energized people, working well together, fueled by great leadership, in an environment in which they thrive, will do phenomenal things. 

Our work

Learn about where we work around the globe and the programs we’ve created to address urgent issues in global health, global development, and education. 

Careers

If you’re interested in big missions, this is the place for you. Search and apply for open positions here.