Editing Gates Foundation (section)

{{Short description|American private foundation}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox organization
| name                        = Gates Foundation
| abbreviation             = <!-- BMGF -->
| formerly                    = {{Unbulleted list|Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (2000–2024)|William H. Gates Foundation|Gates Learning Foundation}}
| logo                          = GatesFoundationlogo.svg
| logo_size                  = 265
| image                       = Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation NE.jpg
| image_size               = 250
| caption                     = The Gates Foundation headquarters in 2022
| formation                  = {{start date and age|2000}}<ref>{{cite web|language=en|title=History|url=https://www.gatesfoundation.org/Who-We-Are/General-Information/History|website=Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation}}</ref>
| type                          = [[Foundation (United States law)#Private foundation|Non-operating private foundation]]<ref name=foundcen>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160311163100/https://fdo.foundationcenter.org/grantmaker-profile/?collection=grantmakers&key=GATE023 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation], FoundationCenter.org, accessed February 10, 2016.</ref>
| status                       = [[501(c)(3) organization]]
| purpose                    = [[Healthcare]], [[education]], fighting [[poverty]]
| headquarters           = [[Seattle]], Washington, U.S.
| coordinates              = {{coord|47|37|25|N|122|20|44|W|format=dms|display=title,inline|type:landmark_region:US-WA}}
| key_people              = {{ubl|Bill Gates (chair)|Mark Suzman (CEO)<ref>[https://www.gatesfoundation.org/about/leadership/mark-suzman "About Mark Suzman"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624202555/https://www.gatesfoundation.org/about/leadership/mark-suzman |date=June 24, 2021 }}, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: ". . . holds a doctorate in international relations from [[Oxford University]], where he was a [[List of Rhodes Scholars|Rhodes scholar]]."</ref>}}
| founders                  = {{unbulleted list|[[Bill Gates]]|[[Melinda French Gates]]}}
| area_served            = Worldwide
| method                    = Donations, [[Grant (money)|grants]]
| revenue                  = 
| endowment             = $77.2 billion {{As of|2024|12|31|alt=(2024)<ref name="FactSheet" />}}
| num_employees     = 2,167 (2025)<ref name="FactSheet" />
| owner                      = 
| homepage               = {{URL|https://www.gatesfoundation.org/|gatesfoundation.org}}
}}
{{Bill Gates series}}
The '''Gates Foundation'''{{efn|Formerly the '''William H. Gates Foundation''', the '''Gates Learning Foundation''' and the '''Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation'''<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.gatesfoundation.org/Who-We-Are/General-Information/Leadership/Executive-Leadership-Team/William-H-Gates-Sr |title=William H Gates Sr |publisher=Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation |language=en |access-date=December 4, 2020 |archive-date=December 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201206223454/https://www.gatesfoundation.org/Who-We-Are/General-Information/Leadership/Executive-Leadership-Team/William-H-Gates-Sr |url-status=live }}</ref>}} is an American [[private foundation]] founded by [[Bill Gates]] and [[Melinda French Gates]]. Based in [[Seattle]], Washington, it was launched in 2000 and is reported to be [[List of wealthiest charitable foundations|the third largest charitable foundation in the world]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://docs.gatesfoundation.org/documents/F_151002C-1B_Bill%26MelindaGatesFoundation_FS.pdf|title=Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Financial Statement 2020|access-date=May 26, 2021|archive-date=June 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603160528/https://docs.gatesfoundation.org/documents/F_151002C-1B_Bill%26MelindaGatesFoundation_FS.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Novo Nordisk Holdings Report 2020|url=https://www.novoholdings.dk/wp-content/uploads/Novo-Holdings-Annual-Report-2020.pdf|access-date=May 26, 2021|archive-date=March 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210328113742/https://www.novoholdings.dk/wp-content/uploads/Novo-Holdings-Annual-Report-2020.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> holding $77.2 billion in assets as of December 31, 2024.<ref name="FactSheet">{{cite web |title=Foundation Fact Sheet |url=https://www.gatesfoundation.org/who-we-are/general-information/foundation-factsheet |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210222124539/https://www.gatesfoundation.org/Who-We-Are/General-Information/Foundation-Factsheet |archive-date=February 22, 2021 |access-date=July 27, 2024 |website=Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation |language=en}}</ref> The primary stated goals of the foundation are to enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty across the world, and to expand educational opportunities and access to information technology in the U.S. Key individuals of the foundation include [[Warren Buffett]], chief executive officer Mark Suzman,<ref name=voxsue>{{Cite web |url=https://www.vox.com/recode/2019/12/5/20997583/sue-desmond-hellmann-gates-foundation-departure |title=The Gates Foundation has enormous impact. Its CEO leaving could have an enormous impact, too. |last=Schleifer |first=Theodore |date=December 5, 2019 |website=Vox |language=en |access-date=March 12, 2020 |archive-date=July 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240726165918/https://www.vox.com/recode/2019/12/5/20997583/sue-desmond-hellmann-gates-foundation-departure |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Michael Larson (businessman)|Michael Larson]].<ref name="lwc15">{{cite news |last1=Warwick-Ching |first1=Lucy |title=Cascade Investment, Bill Gates' wealth manager |url=https://www.ft.com/content/ce87f48a-7208-11e5-9b9e-690fdae72044 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/ce87f48a-7208-11e5-9b9e-690fdae72044 |archive-date=December 10, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |publisher=The Financial Times Ltd |date=21 October 2015}}</ref>

The scale of the foundation and the way it seeks to apply business techniques to giving makes it one of the leaders in [[venture philanthropy]],<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.economist.com/surveys/displaystory.cfm?story_id=5517656 |newspaper=The Economist |title=The birth of philanthrocapitalism |date=February 23, 2006 |access-date=September 22, 2008 |archive-date=September 25, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090925085738/http://www.economist.com/surveys/displaystory.cfm?story_id=5517656 |url-status=live }}</ref> though the foundation itself notes that the philanthropic role has limitations.<ref name="GuidingPrinciples">{{cite web |url=http://www.gatesfoundation.org/about/Pages/guiding-principles.aspx |title=Guiding Principles|access-date=July 7, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100306020332/http://www.gatesfoundation.org/about/Pages/guiding-principles.aspx|archive-date=March 6, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2007, its founders were ranked as the second most generous philanthropists in the U.S., behind Warren Buffett.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The 50 Most Generous Philanthropists|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/businessweek/interactive_reports/philanthropy_individual.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130920122703/http://www.businessweek.com/interactive_reports/philanthropy_individual.html|archive-date=September 20, 2013|website=Bloomberg Businessweek}}</ref> {{asof|2018|post=,}} Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates had donated around $36 billion to the foundation.<ref>{{cite web |title=Foundation FAQ |url=https://www.gatesfoundation.org/who-we-are/general-information/foundation-faq |website=Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation |language=en |quote=From 1994 through 2018, Bill and Melinda gave the foundation more than $36.0 billion. |access-date=January 29, 2020 |archive-date=July 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240726165951/https://www.gatesfoundation.org/about/foundation-faq |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Bill Gates |url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/bill-gates/#4863025f689f |website=Forbes |language=en |quote=To date, Gates has donated $35.8 billion worth of Microsoft stock to the Gates Foundation. |access-date=January 29, 2020 |archive-date=August 20, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170820124015/https://www.forbes.com/profile/bill-gates/#4863025f689f |url-status=live }}</ref> Since its founding, the foundation has endowed and supported a broad range of social, health, and education developments, including the establishment of the [[Gates Cambridge Scholarship]]s at [[Cambridge University]].