> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation - URL: https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/bill-melinda-gates-foundation/ - Published: 1999-01-02T11:45:00.000Z - Updated: 2025-12-20T19:58:25.000Z - Author: Liam Sturgess - Tags: Profiles, #docs, #organization The **Gates Foundation**, formerly the **Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF)**, is an American private foundation based in Seattle, Washington. ## History The William H. Gates Foundation was launched in 1994\. In 1997, [Bill Gates](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/Bill-Gates) and Melinda Gates launched the Gates Library Foundation, which later became the Gates Learning Foundation.[\[1\]](#fn1) In 1997, the foundation gave $2.25 million to the [Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/Johns-Hopkins-Bloomberg-School-of-Public-Health) to establish "a training and research program for family planning and reproductive health specialists from developing nations." This program was the basis for the creation of the Bill & Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health in 1999, for which the foundation provided an additional $20 million.[\[2\]](#fn2) On December 2, 1998, the [Bill and Melinda Gates Children's Vaccine Program](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/Bill-and-Melinda-Gates-Childrens-Vaccine-Program) (CVP) launched with a 5-year $100 million grant from the Gates Foundation.[\[3\]](#fn3) In 2000, the William H. Gates Foundation merged with the Gates Learning Foundation to form the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.[\[1:1\]](#fn1) In February 2004, the Gates Foundation awarded a 5-year US$82.9 million grant to the [Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/Aeras-Global-TB-Vaccine-Foundation). Aeras and the Gates Foundation co-funded an “infant and adolescent TB Vaccine Site preparation study” alongside the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCCTP) at the [Infectious Diseases Institute](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/Infectious-Diseases-Institute) in Uganda.[\[4\]](#fn4) ### Decade of Vaccines In January 2010, Bill and Melinda Gates called for the following ten years to be a “decade of vaccines.” This was cited as the basis for the creation of the [Decade of Vaccines Collaboration](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/Decade-of-Vaccines-Collaboration), launched in December 2010 by the Gates Foundation, the [National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/National-Institute-of-Allergy-and-Infectious-Diseases) (NIAID), UNICEF and the [World Health Organization](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/World-Health-Organization).[\[5\]](#fn5) On January 12, 2016, [Moderna](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/Moderna) announced that it had entered a funding agreement with the Gates Foundation to develop therapeutics against HIV and other diseases. The agreement included an initial $20 million grant, with the potential to increase the amount to $100 million.[\[6\]](#fn6)[\[7\]](#fn7) In November 2016, [AbCellera](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/AbCellera) received a $645,000 USD grant from the Gates Foundation to develop a test for tuberculosis.[\[8\]](#fn8) On September 4, 2019, [BioNTech](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/BioNTech) announced it had received a $55 million grant from the Gates Foundation to expand its HIV and tuberculosis portfolios.[\[9\]](#fn9) The Gates Foundation co-hosted a pandemic preparedness exercise called [Event 201](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/Event-201) in New York City on October 18, 2019, in partnership with the [Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/Johns-Hopkins-Center-for-Health-Security) and the [World Economic Forum](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/World-Economic-Forum).[\[10\]](#fn10) ### COVID-19 On March 10, 2020, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, [Mastercard](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/Mastercard) and Wellcome Trust announced a commitment of up to $125 million towards the creation of the [COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/COVID-19-Therapeutics-Accelerator).[\[11\]](#fn11)[\[12\]](#fn12) In June 2020, the foundation contributed $750 million to the development of the [AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/AstraZeneca-COVID-19-vaccine).[\[13\]](#fn13) In November 2021, the Gates Foundation gave $2,118,334 to [Providence Therapeutics](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/Providence-Therapeutics) to develop more cost-effective mRNA vaccines.[\[14\]](#fn14) AbCellera received a second grant from the Gates Foundation in January 2022 to “identify potent anti-RSV monoclonal antibodies to protect infants in low and middle income countries from RSV infection morbidity and mortality.”[\[15\]](#fn15) On May 13, 2024, Melinda Gates announced her departure from the Gates Foundation.[\[16\]](#fn16) ## Organization The Gates Foundation has been a client of [Hardpin Media](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/Hardpin-Media),[\[17\]](#fn17) [Message Global](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/Message-Global)[\[18\]](#fn18) and [williamsworks](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/williamsworks).[\[19\]](#fn19) It is also a member organization of [Philanthropy Northwest](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/Philanthropy-Northwest).[\[20\]](#fn20) ### Personnel | Name | Position | Notes | | -------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------- | ------------------ | | [Bill Gates](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/Bill-Gates) | Co-Founder[\[16:1\]](#fn16) | Microsoft | | Melinda Gates | Co-Founder[\[16:2\]](#fn16) | Pivotal Ventures | | Mark Suzman | Chief Executive Officer[\[16:3\]](#fn16) | \- | | Warren Buffett | Trustee (former)[\[16:4\]](#fn16) | Berkshire Hathaway | ## Activities The Gates Foundation makes direct investments in for-profit ventures through its [Strategic Investment Fund](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/Bill-&-Melinda-Gates-Foundation-Strategic-Investment-Fund) (SIF). ### Funding The Gates Foundation has provided funding to: - [AbCellera](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/AbCellera)[\[8:1\]](#fn8)[\[15:1\]](#fn15) - [Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/Aeras-Global-TB-Vaccine-Foundation)[\[4:1\]](#fn4) - African Health Diagnostics Platform (AHDP)[\[21\]](#fn21) - [Arcturus Therapeutics](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/Arcturus-Therapeutics)[\[22\]](#fn22) - Bill & Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health[\[2:1\]](#fn2) - Biological E. Limited[\[21:1\]](#fn21) - [BioNTech](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/BioNTech)[\[9:1\]](#fn9) - Calibr-Skaggs Institute for Innovative Medicines[\[21:2\]](#fn21) - Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI)[\[21:3\]](#fn21) - [Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/Coalition-for-Epidemic-Preparedness-Innovations) (CEPI)[\[23\]](#fn23) - [COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/COVID-19-Therapeutics-Accelerator)[\[11:1\]](#fn11) - [Data & Society](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/Data-&-Society)[\[24\]](#fn24) - European Fund for Sustainable Development Guarantee[\[21:4\]](#fn21) - FHI Partners[\[21:5\]](#fn21) - [Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/Gavi-the-Vaccine-Alliance)[\[21:6\]](#fn21) - Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria[\[21:7\]](#fn21) - Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI)[\[21:8\]](#fn21) - Government of Nigeria[\[21:9\]](#fn21) - Imperial College London[\[21:10\]](#fn21) - [Infectious Diseases Institute](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/Infectious-Diseases-Institute)[\[4:2\]](#fn4) - International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)[\[21:11\]](#fn21) - Inventprise[\[21:12\]](#fn21) - Islamic Development Bank (IsDB)[\[21:13\]](#fn21) - [Janssen](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/Janssen)[\[25\]](#fn25) - Jhpiego[\[21:14\]](#fn21) - [Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/Johns-Hopkins-Bloomberg-School-of-Public-Health)[\[2:2\]](#fn2) - [Johns Hopkins University](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/Johns-Hopkins-University)[\[21:15\]](#fn21) - McMaster University[\[26\]](#fn26) - Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV)[\[21:16\]](#fn21) - [Moderna](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/Moderna)[\[6:1\]](#fn6)[\[7:1\]](#fn7) - [Nextstrain](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/Nextstrain)[\[27\]](#fn27) - ONE Campaign[\[21:17\]](#fn21) - Population Services International (PSI)[\[21:18\]](#fn21) - Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH)[\[21:19\]](#fn21) - [Providence Therapeutics](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/Providence-Therapeutics)[\[14:1\]](#fn14) - [Third Way Institute](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/Third-Way-Institute)[\[28\]](#fn28) - UNICEF USA[\[21:20\]](#fn21) - University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)[\[21:21\]](#fn21) - University of Washington[\[21:22\]](#fn21) - [Wikimedia Foundation](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/Wikimedia-Foundation)[\[29\]](#fn29) - [World Health Organization](https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/World-Health-Organization) (WHO)[\[21:23\]](#fn21) - World Health Organization Pakistan Country Office[\[21:24\]](#fn21) ## External links - [Campfire Wiki](https://www.campfire.wiki/doku.php?id=bill%5Fmelinda%5Fgates%5Ffoundation) - [C-SPAN](https://www.c-span.org/organization/?44687/Gates-Bill-Melinda-Foundation) - [InfluenceWatch](https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/bill-and-melinda-gates-foundation/) - [Powerbase](https://powerbase.info/index.php/Bill%5F%26%5FMelinda%5FGates%5FFoundation) - [SourceWatch](https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Bill%5F%26%5FMelinda%5FGates%5FFoundation) - [Website](https://www.gatesfoundation.org/) - [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill%5F%26%5FMelinda%5FGates%5FFoundation) - [Wikispooks](https://wikispooks.com/wiki/Bill%5F%26%5FMelinda%5FGates%5FFoundation) --- 1. *Our story.* Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Retrieved February 4, 2023, from [↩︎](#fnref1) [↩︎](#fnref1:1) 2. O’Shea, D., & Pettengill, L. (1999, May). *Gates Foundations Give Johns Hopkins $20 Million Gift to School of Public Health for Population, Reproductive Health Institute.* Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. [↩︎](#fnref2) [↩︎](#fnref2:1) [↩︎](#fnref2:2) 3. Kane, M. (2000, January). *Year One In Review.* Children’s Vaccine Program. [↩︎](#fnref3) 4. *Research Projects.* (2017, August). Infectious Diseases Institute. [↩︎](#fnref4) [↩︎](#fnref4:1) [↩︎](#fnref4:2) 5. Robert, M., Hasan, H., Moen, C., & Billet, C. (2010, December 2). *Global Health Leaders Launch Decade of Vaccines Collaboration.* World Health Organization. [↩︎](#fnref5) 6. *Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation — Advancing an mRNA-based antibody combination to help prevent HIV infection.* Moderna. Retrieved March 21, 2022, from [↩︎](#fnref6) [↩︎](#fnref6:1) 7. *Moderna Wins Initial $20M Grant from Gates Foundation.* (2016, January 12). GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News. [↩︎](#fnref7) [↩︎](#fnref7:1) 8. *AbCellera Biologics Inc.* (2016, November). Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. [↩︎](#fnref8) [↩︎](#fnref8:1) 9. Boehler, M. (2019, September 4). *BioNTech announces new collaboration to develop HIV and tuberculosis programs.* BioNTech. [↩︎](#fnref9) [↩︎](#fnref9:1) 10. *Event 201, a pandemic exercise to illustrate preparedness efforts.* Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. Retrieved January 3, 2022, from [↩︎](#fnref10) 11. *COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator.* (2020, March 10). Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. [↩︎](#fnref11) [↩︎](#fnref11:1) 12. Suzman, M. (2020, March 10). *Announcing the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator.* Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. [↩︎](#fnref12) 13. Canellis, D. (2020, June 5). *Bill Gates commits $750M to help Oxford vaccinate the world against COVID-19.* TNW | Fintech-Ecommerce. [↩︎](#fnref13) 14. *Providence Therapeutics.* (2021, November). Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. [↩︎](#fnref14) [↩︎](#fnref14:1) 15. *AbCellera Biologics Inc.* (2022, January). Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. [↩︎](#fnref15) [↩︎](#fnref15:1) 16. Nerkar, S. (2024, May 13). *Melinda French Gates to Resign From Gates Foundation.* The New York Times. [↩︎](#fnref16) [↩︎](#fnref16:1) [↩︎](#fnref16:2) [↩︎](#fnref16:3) [↩︎](#fnref16:4) 17. *What We Do.* Hardpin Media. Retrieved October 11, 2024, from [↩︎](#fnref17) 18. *What.* Message Global. Retrieved November 5, 2016, from [↩︎](#fnref18) 19. Rapkin, M. (2013, November 11). *When Ben Affleck Wants to Change the World, He Calls This Woman.* ELLE. [↩︎](#fnref19) 20. *Our Members.* Philanthropy Northwest. Retrieved August 18, 2015, from [↩︎](#fnref20) 21. Breen, E., & Kumar, R. (2023, October). *Private foundations and their global health grant-making patterns: A rapid analysis of the Rockefeller Foundation, Wellcome Trust, and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.* Global Policy Forum Europe. [↩︎](#fnref21) [↩︎](#fnref21:1) [↩︎](#fnref21:2) [↩︎](#fnref21:3) [↩︎](#fnref21:4) [↩︎](#fnref21:5) [↩︎](#fnref21:6) [↩︎](#fnref21:7) [↩︎](#fnref21:8) [↩︎](#fnref21:9) [↩︎](#fnref21:10) [↩︎](#fnref21:11) [↩︎](#fnref21:12) [↩︎](#fnref21:13) [↩︎](#fnref21:14) [↩︎](#fnref21:15) [↩︎](#fnref21:16) [↩︎](#fnref21:17) [↩︎](#fnref21:18) [↩︎](#fnref21:19) [↩︎](#fnref21:20) [↩︎](#fnref21:21) [↩︎](#fnref21:22) [↩︎](#fnref21:23) [↩︎](#fnref21:24) 22. *INV-080712 - Arcturus Therapeutics, Inc.* (2024, October). Gates Foundation. [↩︎](#fnref22) 23. *Wellcome, Gates pledge $300 million to prevent future epidemics.* (2022, January 20). Philanthropy News Digest. [↩︎](#fnref23) 24. *Data & Society Funder List.* Data & Society. Retrieved December 28, 2022, from [↩︎](#fnref24) 25. *Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation donations made to Janssen Vaccines & Prevention B.V.* Vipul Naik. Retrieved March 29, 2023, from . [↩︎](#fnref25) 26. *INV-064444 - McMaster University.* (2023, October). Gates Foundation. [↩︎](#fnref26) 27. *Home.* Nextstrain. Retrieved October 2, 2022, from [↩︎](#fnref27) 28. *Third Way Institute.* (2019, November). Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. [↩︎](#fnref28) 29. *2018 annual report - Our donors.* Wikimedia Foundation. Retrieved May 19, 2024, from [↩︎](#fnref29)