Gates Foundation, Bill and Melinda
Contact information:
P.O. Box 23350
Seattle, WA 98102-0650
Phone: 206-709-3100
Fax: 206-709-3180
E-mail: info@gatesfoundation.org
Website: www.gatesfoundation.org
Type of foundation: Independent foundation
Types of grants: Annual campaigns, capital, matching gifts, general/operating, program-related investments/loans, program, research, scholarships, technical assistance.
Description: Established in 1994 as the William H. Gates Foundation, the Foundation was created by William H. "Bill" Gates, III and his wife Melinda French Gates. Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, began his major philanthropic efforts in 1994, when he created the William H. Gates Foundation, which focused on global health. Three years later, he and Melinda created the Gates Library Foundation, which worked to bring public access computers with Internet connections to libraries in the United States. Its name was changed to the Gates Learning Foundation in 1999 to reflect its focus on ensuring that low-income minority students are prepared for college and have the means to attend. In 2000, to increase efficiency and communication, the two groups merged into the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
In 2006, Warren Buffett, founder of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., pledged a significant portion of his stock in that company (valued at $31 billion) to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to be paid out on a yearly basis. In 2007, the Foundation restructured and created a separate organization, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust, to oversee the Foundation's assets. The trust will include the annual installments of Warren Buffett's gift to the Foundation and in turn, will fund the program Foundation. Bill and Melinda Gates will be the sole trustees of the asset trust. The original entity, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will conduct the Foundation's programmatic and grantmaking activities. In addition to its Seattle headquarters, the Foundation has offices in Washington, D.C.; Beijing, China; Delhi, India; and London, United Kingdom. The Foundation plans to close 50 years after the deaths of its three current trustees - Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to reduce inequities and improve lives around the world. Grantmaking is made through the following programs:
- Global Development Program: The mission of this program is to increase opportunities for people in developing countries to overcome hunger and poverty. The Foundation focuses on areas with the potential for high-impact, sustainable solutions that can reach hundreds of millions of people. It also supports policy and advocacy efforts to accelerate progress against the world's most acute poverty. The four main areas of interest are: 1) Agricultural Development, helping small farmers boost their productivity, increase their incomes and build better lives for their families; 2) Financial Services for the Poor, making savings accounts, insurance and loans more widely available to people in developing countries so they can manage risks, take advantage of opportunities and increase their financial security; 3) Special Initiatives, working across a range of development issues such as water, sanitation, and hygiene, urban poverty and emergency relief; and 4) Policy and Advocacy, increasing awareness of global development issues, identifying and promoting powerful solutions and advocating for more effective investments.
- Global Health Program: The mission of the program is to help ensure that advances in health are created and shared with those who need them most. The Foundation works with organizations around the world that are using innovative methods to improve health in developing countries. Grants focus on: 1) Discovering new insights to fight serious diseases and other health problems affecting developing countries; 2) Developing effective and affordable vaccines, medicines, and other health tools; and 3) Delivering proven health solutions to those who need them most. The Foundation also supports advocacy efforts to build awareness of global health challenges, develop new ways to finance health programs and improve health data. The Foundation targets diseases and health conditions that cause the greatest illness and death in developing countries, yet receive little attention and resources.
- U.S. Program: The mission of this program is to help ensure greater opportunity for all Americans through the attainment of secondary and post-secondary education with genuine economic value. The priority areas are: 1) Education, making make sure high school students graduate ready for success and prepared to earn post-secondary degrees. The Foundation also funds college and graduate school scholarships and supports high-quality early learning programs in Washington state; 2) Libraries, supporting efforts to supply and sustain free public access to computers and the Internet through local public libraries; 3) Pacific Northwest, assisting struggling families by supporting early childhood learning programs and efforts that help break the cycle of homelessness; and 4) Special Initiatives, exploring new ways to increase opportunities or respond to unique challenges in the United States. Additionally, as part of the Foundation's post-secondary success initiative, the Foundation has announced a commitment of up to $110 million to help community colleges boost graduation rates by replacing weak remedial programs with new technologies and fresh ideas. The Foundation also uses advocacy to raise awareness of the issues faced, inform government policy and develop new and innovative ways of financing initiatives that improve outcomes.
- Pacific Northwest Communities: The Foundation supports organizations working in the areas of helping families connect to government support, promoting violence reduction and promoting school/community collaborations. Grants are generally between $50,000 – $220,000.
In addition, the Foundation has allocated $400 million for a pilot social investment fund that will provide loan financing, underwriting and equity investments for socially-conscious nonprofit and for-profit organizations. The Foundation will seek organizations that align with its program strategies, have a high leverage of external capital and can become transformative investments.
Sample grants:
- $4 million to World University Service of Canada, Ottawa, Canada for a three- and-a-half year grant to enhance the impact of radio broadcasting on food security in Africa, with focus on Mali (2007).
- $3.6 million to WETA-Greater Washington Educational Telecommunications Association, Arlington, VA for support of in-depth, balanced news coverage of major global health issues and humanitarian emergencies on NewsHour (2008).
- $2.5 million to Public Radio International, Minneapolis, MN for a three-year grant to elevate prominence of global health/development issues within the US news agenda and to increase public understanding of importance of global interdependency to success of our lives, our nation and our world (2007).
- $1.3 million to Staying Alive Foundation, New York, NY to provide correct and factual awareness and prevention information on HIV/AIDS to young people, using television, radio, online and peer education globally, with emphasis on Kenya, Tanzania and Jamaica (2008).
- $974,932 to National Public Radio, Washington, DC for a three-year grant to provide news and information to Americans (2006).
- $506,504 to Educational Broadcasting Corporation, New York, NY for national broadcast, designed to be a catalyst for serious discussion about the future of America's schools, supported by a robust, interactive Website and outreach events around the country (2008).
Fit for public broadcasting: The Foundation invests heavily in radio and television to further its goals. The Foundation has made 23 grants for radio/television projects over the past seven years, totaling more than $21 million.
Eligibility: Giving on a national and international basis to support initiatives in health, learning, poverty alleviation and development. United States giving has an emphasis on the Pacific Northwest. International giving emphasizes South America, Africa, Europe, Asia and Australia. No support for religious purposes. No grants to individuals directly.
Deadline: None.
How to apply: Applicants should review funding guidelines here before making contact with the Foundation. Letters of inquiry of up to four pages are accepted by the Global Health and Pacific Northwest giving areas. The letter of inquiry form for Global Health can be downloaded here. The form for Pacific Northwest Communities grants can be downloaded here. (The other program areas do not accept unsolicited approaches.) Proposals should not be submitted without prior invitation by the Foundation. No mail-in applications are accepted. The Foundation also issues Requests for Proposals in some program areas.
Giving range: The average gift for radio/television is approximately $1 million. The Foundation has made gifts as high as $750 million.
Assets: $29,889,702,125 (2008)
Total giving: $2,805,251,969 (2008)
View 2008 Annual Report [PDF].
