Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Name

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Legal name

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Website

http://www.gatesfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA), Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB), Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL), Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

Keywords

• Global health grants
• Philanthropic funding
• Agricultural development programs
• Vaccine research grants
• Nonprofit foundation

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Grants and Program Disbursements, Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Grantmaking: The foundation generates no revenue from product sales. It receives large donations (primarily from Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway shares, Bill Gates' wealth transfers), invests its endowment, and disburses grants and program-related investments. The foundation disbursed $8.5B in total charitable support in 2025 (year ended Dec 31).
2. Strategic Impact Investments: The Gates Foundation Strategic Investment Fund (SIF) makes equity and debt investments in for-profit companies aligned with foundation goals, providing financial returns alongside development impact. Leyden Labs, Kanvas Biosciences, and similar portfolio companies receive SIF co-investment.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is a private charitable foundation that makes grants and program-related investments to fight poverty, disease, and inequity worldwide. It funds global health programs (polio eradication, malaria, TB, vaccines, maternal/child health), agricultural development for smallholder farmers, US K-12 and higher education initiatives, water/sanitation/hygiene projects, and gender equality programs. The foundation disbursed $8.5 billion in total charitable support in 2025 across 2,506 grants to 1,472 grantees, operating through wholly-owned subsidiaries including Gates Medical Research Institute and Gates Agricultural Innovations.

Product overview

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is a global nonprofit organization fighting poverty, disease, and inequity. It does not offer commercial products or software; rather, it operates as a philanthropic foundation that makes grants and investments across health, agriculture, education, and economic opportunity. The foundation's primary 'offerings' are its grant programs, publications (including the annual Goalkeepers Report), educational content (the Optimist newsletter), and public exhibits (Discovery Center). Core program areas include Maternal and Child Health, Infectious Diseases, Agricultural Development, Water Sanitation & Hygiene, and Gender Equality. The foundation also supports technology initiatives through partnerships, such as its AI collaborations with Anthropic for global health applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Goalkeepers Report An annual publication tracking progress on global health and development goals, providing data-driven insights and analysis on key metrics toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
• Gates Foundation Discovery Center A physical exhibit space in Seattle showcasing the foundation's work through interactive displays on sanitation, global health, and development innovations. Open to the public free of charge.
• Grand Challenges Grant Program A global network of funding initiatives supporting innovators tackling health and development challenges in low-income countries through open innovation grant frameworks, with individual RFPs offering up to $150,000 in funding.
• Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) Program Programs focused on advancing sustainable sanitation technologies and increasing access to safely managed sanitation services, targeting the 3.5 billion people globally who lack access to safe sanitation.
• Optimist Newsletter A biweekly email newsletter with over 300,000 subscribers featuring stories about people and partnerships improving lives globally.
• Strategic Investment Fund (SIF) Impact Investments Program-related equity and debt investments in for-profit companies aligned with foundation goals, providing financial returns alongside development impact.

Quantifiable outcome

• Global Fund has helped save an estimated 70 million lives since 2002 (Gates Foundation is a major funder)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

47 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Dyadic International (C1 Protein Platform)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 July 2026Gates Foundation fully funded a $3.1M grant for RSV and malaria monoclonal antibody research using Dyadic's C1 protein production platform, which achieves higher yields and lower projected manufacturing costs than traditional CHO cell systems. Also working with CEPI, Scripps Research, and European Vaccines Hub.
• SK bioscience / PATH / SlalomcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 July 2026SK Bioscience leads the Gates Foundation-funded ROTOR (Research Optimization & Trial Outcome Recommender) project, an AI-based platform designed to reduce uncertainty in vaccine development decisions by analyzing scientific, immunogenicity, and clinical datasets to help researchers decide whether to advance to Phase III trials.
• Future Perspectives / Yemi Osinbajo (Nigeria)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 June 2026Gates Foundation partnered with Future Perspectives and former Nigerian Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to host a roundtable on innovative financing models for Africa's healthcare systems, addressing persistent financing gaps in Nigeria's healthcare where only 10-12% have health insurance.
• Wall Street JournalminorOthers · 30 June 2026Wall Street Journal broke the story of Warren Buffett withholding his Gates Foundation donation pending the Epstein review, which became the primary source of information about this significant development affecting foundation funding.
• Obama FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 June 2026Gates Foundation donated toward the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, alongside funding from Jeff Bezos. The $850M museum complex opened June 19, 2026 in Jackson Park.
• Replicate BiosciencecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 June 2026Approximately $3 million Gates Foundation grant — the company's third from the foundation — to advance self-replicating RNA (srRNA) vaccine candidates for tuberculosis. Builds on existing srRNA platform that demonstrated protective immune responses at low doses in Phase I trials for rabies.
• University of Oxford (Postpartum Hemorrhage Research)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2026Gates Foundation partnered with Oxford researchers on a clinical trial across Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa involving over 20,000 women, demonstrating that a low-cost calibrated plastic drape and first-response treatment bundle reduced severe bleeding/death/surgery by 60%. Foundation partnering with local companies in South Africa to scale production.
• Global Fund / Nigeria Federal GovernmentminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2026Gates Foundation participated in inauguration of expanded Abuja Premier Medical Warehouse alongside Global Fund and Nigerian government, strengthening storage and distribution of health commodities across 21 states benefiting ~149 million people.
• MIT (Robert Langer) / FDA (Janet Woodcock)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2026MIT professor Robert Langer and former FDA commissioner Janet Woodcock joined Nortiva Bio's advisory board. Nortiva is advancing a monthly oral contraceptive with $5M Gates Foundation grant for low- and middle-income country access.
• Centre for Newborn Health Research and Innovation (CeNHRI)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 June 2026CeNHRI established at Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital with Gates Foundation support, targeting Nigeria's 280,000 annual newborn deaths — the second-highest globally. Center will train healthcare workers across Ekiti State using simulation-based methods.
• Tyton PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 June 2026Tyton Partners' Time for Class 2026 report on digital learning in higher education was partially supported/facilitated by Gates Foundation's interest in education technology and AI integration in teaching.
• ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 June 2026ICMR and Gates Foundation jointly launched a Rs. 1-crore Grand Challenge to develop attractive iron-rich food products for adolescent girls and women to address anemia affecting ~50% of Indian women of reproductive age, shifting from conventional supplementation to food-based solutions.
• MIT Koch Institute / Harvard Medical SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 June 2026Gates Foundation funded research at MIT's Koch Institute (in collaboration with Harvard Medical School) to develop a nanoparticle-based adjuvant enabling injectable polio vaccine to induce mucosal immunity, producing 20-fold increase in mucosal antibodies compared to IPV alone.
• Converge BiocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 June 2026$2.5M multi-year grant to extend Converge Bio's generative AI platform from drug discovery into crop genomics, developing multimodal foundation models to identify genetic variants for yield and climate resilience in crops, targeting smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
• Lee's PharmminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 June 2026Lee's Pharm received Gates Foundation funding to complete development of a synthetic surfactant for treating respiratory distress syndrome in premature infants, targeting introduction at affordable price in low- and middle-income countries.
• Converge BiocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 June 2026$2.5M Gates Foundation grant extends Converge Bio's AI gene discovery platform from pharma into agricultural biotechnology to address mismatch between traditional 12-15 year crop breeding cycles and accelerating climate change.
• African Centre for Vector Genomics (CRID)minorOthers · 27 May 2026Fully funded Gates Foundation international training program in Molecular Vector Surveillance hosted in Yaoundé, Cameroon, providing travel, accommodation, and laboratory access for African scientists to combat malaria and dengue through genomics training.
• Africa CDCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 May 2026Gates Foundation committed $15M emergency funding for Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak response in DRC and Uganda, with $5M to Africa CDC for regional coordination and cross-border surveillance, $5M to WHO Africa regional office, and $5M to WHO HQ for rapid procurement and diagnostics.
• Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) / Seattle Children's Research InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 May 2026$3M Gates Foundation grant to VCU researchers developing an affordable, noninvasive aerosol-based treatment for respiratory distress syndrome in newborns using dry powder lung surfactant, deliverable without complex medical equipment in low-resource settings.
• Wadhwani FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 2026Gates Foundation signed MoU with Wadhwani Foundation to strengthen India's innovation ecosystem through the National Innovation Network (NIN), supporting five Centers of Excellence over five years for translational research in health, nutrition, biotechnology, genomics, and medtech.
• Cornell University (Male Contraceptive Research)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 2026Gates Foundation supported Cornell University research demonstrating that molecule JQ1 can temporarily block sperm production for reversible male contraception without permanently affecting fertility, published in PNAS.
• Anthropic (reported $30B investment context)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 May 2026Gates Foundation partnership with Anthropic coincides with reports that Anthropic is raising $300B at $900B valuation. The $200M partnership deploys Claude AI for health, education, and agriculture in underserved regions.
• AnthropiccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 May 2026$200 million four-year partnership (each party contributing $100M) to deploy Anthropic's Claude AI across global health, education, and agriculture programs. Gates Foundation provides grant funding and program expertise; Anthropic provides technical staff and Claude usage credits. Focus areas include vaccine development for HPV and preeclampsia, AI for African languages, and educational knowledge graphs for teachers in sub-Saharan Africa and India.
• Microsoft AI for Good LabminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 14 May 2026Co-leads LINGUA Africa initiative with Gates Foundation, Masakhane African Languages Hub, and Google.org to build AI language resources for underrepresented African languages, offering up to $250,000 in cash plus $400,000 in compute credits per project.
• World Mosquito Program / World BankcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 May 2026Gates Foundation backs the World Mosquito Program which breeds mosquitoes carrying Wolbachia bacteria to replace disease-carrying mosquito populations. A facility in Medellín, Colombia releases ~30 million Wolbachia mosquitoes weekly, with major dengue case reductions shown in Indonesia and Colombia since 2015.
• Kanvas BiosciencescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 May 2026Gates Foundation provided funding for Kanvas to develop a synthetic bacterial microbiome replacement therapy for maternal environmental enteric dysfunction (EED), a chronic inflammatory disorder affecting ~150 million children linked to malnutrition. Also participated in $48M Series A round.
• Government of KoreaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 May 2026South Korean government and Gates Foundation discussed expanding cooperation in healthcare and biotechnology leveraging AI. Gates Foundation announced plans to open an office in Korea during the second half of 2026.
• CGIAR (CIMMYT, IRRI, IITA, CIP, Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 May 2026Gates Foundation granted funding to launch the Breakthrough Product Network, an initiative to develop next-generation crop varieties for 12 priority crops targeting 25-30% productivity and value improvement. Grantees include CGIAR centers using demand-driven 'Crop Concept' breeding approaches.
• Evotec SEcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 April 2026Two Gates Foundation grants totaling $9.9M to Evotec for AI-enabled tuberculosis drug discovery and nonclinical evaluation of next-generation TB drug combinations including long-acting injectables. This follows four earlier TB grants from the foundation.
• Prysm Initiative (Packard Foundation, Hewlett Foundation partnership)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 April 2026Gates Foundation co-founded Prysm Initiative alongside David and Lucile Packard Foundation and William and Flora Hewlett Foundation to address reproductive health underfunding following US funding cuts exceeding $600M. Prysm has identified over $450M in funding opportunities.
• Cirius TherapeuticsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 April 2026Gates Foundation planning grant to advance CIR-0602K as a postpartum therapeutic for women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus, with potential future clinical trials in low- and middle-income country settings.
• Mojaloop FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 April 2026Gates Foundation is a major funder of the Mojaloop Foundation, which develops open-source software enabling interoperable payment systems between banks, mobile money providers, and microfinance groups in emerging markets.
• LifeArccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 April 2026Seven new projects awarded funding by LifeArc and Gates Foundation to reduce monoclonal antibody manufacturing costs from over $50-100/gram to below $10/gram, enhancing accessibility in resource-limited settings.
• OpenAIcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Gates Foundation signed a $50 million partnership with OpenAI in January 2025, four months before the Anthropic deal, to deploy AI for global health and development use cases.
• ExscientiaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 April 2024Exscientia expanded its Gates Foundation collaboration to accelerate drug discovery for neglected tropical diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis, leveraging AI-driven drug discovery platform.
• WHO (World Health Organization)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor Gates Foundation grantee and strategic partner for global health programs including polio eradication, malaria control, immunization (Gavi co-funding), and pandemic preparedness.
• UNICEFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary implementing partner for vaccine delivery, health programs, and nutrition initiatives supported by Gates Foundation funding globally.
• Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and MalariacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGates Foundation is a major governmental donor to the Global Fund alongside the US, France, Germany, UK, and others, supporting HIV, TB, and malaria programs globally.
• FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAO and Bangladesh Ministry of Agriculture convened a workshop under the Gates Foundation-funded AsTP initiative to develop evidence-based agricultural investment plans contributing to Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 climate hotspot framework.
• Andhra Pradesh Health Department (India)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGates Foundation supports Andhra Pradesh's Sanjeevani healthcare initiative using AI-powered diagnostic screening, 904 mobile medical units, digital health records, and AI integration. The state has been recognized as a model for AI-driven healthcare by the Union government.
• WilmerHale (Law Firm)minorOthersGates Foundation commissioned law firm WilmerHale to conduct an external review of its past engagement with Jeffrey Epstein and current policies for vetting philanthropic partnerships. Review announced in March 2026 with findings expected summer 2026.
• Future PerspectivesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGates Foundation partnered with Future Perspectives on a Lagos roundtable addressing Africa's healthcare financing gaps, bringing together government officials, development finance institutions, and investors.
• Reliance FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGates Foundation and Reliance Foundation jointly launched SheConnects Digital Accelerator — a ₹200-crore ($~24M) three-year initiative to advance women's digital inclusion across India and Sub-Saharan Africa, providing grants and technical support to scale evidence-backed solutions.
• Tax Justice Network Africa / Civil Society Legislative Advocacy CentreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGates Foundation funded training workshop in Nigeria for women journalists on gender mainstreaming in tobacco control and tax advocacy, part of broader support for tax justice efforts in Africa.
• PATHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPATH is a key implementing partner for multiple Gates Foundation-funded programs including the ROTOR AI vaccine development platform, rotavirus vaccine datasets, and various global health initiatives.
• Government of Nigeria / Federal Ministry of HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNigeria Federal Government and Gates Foundation partner on multiple health initiatives including Polio Emergency Operations Centre in Katsina, expanded Abuja medical warehouse, and nutrition programs across multiple states.
• International Peace Institute (IPI)minorOthersJeffrey Epstein introduced Gates Foundation to IPI and advised on securing donations, resulting in over $8.5M in foundation contributions. IPI former president Terje Rød-Larsen resigned in 2020 over Epstein ties. Norwegian authorities opened corruption investigations. This is a historical partnership under review.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bloomberg Philanthropies: Large US philanthropic vehicle of Michael Bloomberg covering public health, climate, education, and gun violence prevention. Directly comparable scale and direct-program operating model (Bloomberg runs programs itself rather than only grantmaking) — comparable to the Gates Foundation's mix of grants plus operating subsidiaries.
• Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF): UK-based private foundation focused on children's health, climate, and education in low- and middle-income countries. Overlaps directly with Gates Foundation's child-mortality, nutrition, and climate-resilience grantmaking; smaller endowment (~£5B) but similar strategy of high-impact single-issue bets.
• Open Society Foundations: Major private grantmaking foundation ($25B+ endowment) active in governance, human rights, education, and public health. Comparable scale and global grantmaking footprint; less health-R&D focus and stronger civil-society/rights orientation.
• Rockefeller Foundation: Historic US private foundation focused on global health, food security, and climate — directly comparable to the Gates Foundation's agricultural and pandemic-preparedness work, including shared partners such as WHO and Global Fund. Smaller endowment (~$6B) but parallel mission structure.
• Wellcome Trust: The UK's largest charitable foundation (endowment ~£38B) and the closest direct peer — funds global health, infectious disease, and mental health research with a multi-decade horizon, analogous grantmaking model, and similar mix of programmatic, R&D, and impact-investing activities.
• Mastercard Foundation: Large private foundation (~$39B endowment) with mission centered on Africa, youth employment, and financial inclusion — direct peer for Africa-focused education, agriculture, and digital public-infrastructure programs. Comparable grantmaking scale and continent focus.
• Ford Foundation: Major US private foundation (~$16B endowment) with global programs in economic inequality, education, and democratic governance. Comparable scale and grantmaking structure; differs by less emphasis on health R&D and more on social-justice grantmaking.

Emerging players

• Omidyar Network: Pierre Omidyar's philanthropic investment firm combining grants and equity investments across governance, education, and emerging-tech rights. Directly comparable to the Gates Foundation's Strategic Investment Fund model of blending philanthropic and venture-style capital.
• Skoll Foundation: Silicon Valley-based foundation focused on social entrepreneurship and global health equity. Smaller endowment and portfolio scale than Gates, but aligned mission around market-based solutions to poverty, health, and education in developing regions.

Broad incumbents

• Howard Hughes Medical Institute: Large US biomedical research organization ($20B+ endowment) operating investigator programs rather than grantmaking foundation. Comparable in scale and biomedical-research intensity to the Gates Foundation's health mission, but operates through embedded research labs rather than grantmaking.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gatesfoundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/billmelindagatesfoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments453 records

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Frequently asked questions about Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation