Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Founders: Bill and Melinda Gates

Couple Bill and Melinda Gates established the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000. When Warren Buffett pooled resources in, the Foundation was doubled in terms of size and assets, making the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation the largest transparent non-profit organization in the world.

Areas of Interest:

Financing humanitarian efforts dealing with poverty and education

Notable Projects/Programs:

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has donated annually a total of $1.5 billion, to fund the core areas of its philanthropic pursuits and three grant-making bodies:

  1. Global Health Program – under this program, BGMF shells out an estimated $800 million dollars a year to fund health projects. 17% of the annual donation ($86 million) is solely channeled for the eradication of polio. The Global Health Program also coordinates with the World Health Organization and other non-profit institutions and has provided financial assistance to its health programs, among them the development of and research for several vaccines, as well as further research for treatment and cure for HIV. The Global Health has supported the following institutions:
    • The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization
    • The Institute for OneWorld Health
    • Children's Vaccine Program
    • University of Washington Department of Global Health
  2. Global Development Program – the main purpose of this program is to help in the total eradication of poverty. Projects under the Global Development Program are involved with the promotion of microfinance, research and development in agriculture, expansion of education, and reconstruction in areas hit by natural calamities. The Global Development Program has aided the following institutions in their endeavors:
    • Grameen Foundation (Micro loaning)
    • Philippine Rice Research Institute (Developing and improving rice variants and other rice farming technologies)
    • Alliance for A Green Revolution in Africa (Dedicated to totally relieve Africa of poverty)
  3. United States Program – the program’s main objectives are (1) to widen the spread of education across the United States and (2) to ensure that every public library has access to information technology. Most of the projects under this program are concentrated on building and improving public libraries and museums, and giving education scholarships to underserved but qualified individuals. The Program has collaborated with several institutions and universities:
    • United Negro College Fund
    • NewSchools
    • The Carnegie Foundation
    • University of Cambridge
    • Duke University
    • Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation

More about the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation:

Based in Seattle, Washington, the BMGF strives to improve healthcare services and diminish extreme poverty on a global scale. Within the United States, BMGF aims to increase opportunities for education and enhance access to information technology.

Due to their philanthropic efforts, the BMGF was honored with the Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation in 2006.

The BMGF has been under heavy fire for not including Caucasians in their programs. BMGF pointed out that the move to include non-Caucasian students in their scholarship and other educational programs was deemed necessary to counteract the systematic racism that still exist in America.

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