As the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation celebrates its 25th year, CNN reports that Bill Gates is preparing to donate another $100 billion to the Foundation—a move that further cements his goal to give away nearly all of his wealth before the end of his life. Gates made his intentions unmistakably clear, saying, “People will say a lot of things about me when I die, but I am determined that ‘he died rich’ will not be one of them. There are too many urgent problems to solve for me to hold onto resources that could be used to help people.”
This latest contribution comes as part of a strategic roadmap to gradually wind down the Foundation’s work. Gates plans to give away 99% of his fortune by December 31, 2045, after which the Foundation will formally shut down. By that time, between Gates’ personal donations, the current endowment, and reinvested gains, the Foundation is projected to have distributed around $200 billion—an unprecedented figure in the modern philanthropic era. That money is expected to continue funding initiatives that address public health crises, poverty, educational inequity, and sustainability efforts around the globe.
Currently, Gates stands at No. 5 on Bloomberg’s list of the richest billionaires, with an estimated net worth of $108 billion. His approach stands in stark contrast to the accumulating wealth of many other tech magnates, reinforcing his long-held belief that extreme wealth is most useful when repurposed for the public good. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has already had a transformative impact on global issues ranging from vaccine distribution to agricultural development, and with this planned final surge in funding, its influence is set to remain deeply felt well beyond its eventual closure.