Bill Gates Plans to Donate Nearly All His Wealth, Transforming the Future of the Gates Foundation

Bill Gates, the billionaire philanthropist and co-founder of Microsoft, plans to donate most of his fortune back to society over the coming twenty years and intends to dissolve the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

In a blog post titled “Gates Notes” published on Thursday, May 8, 2025, he declared his intention to donate nearly all of his fortune—estimated at around $200 billion—to charitable causes.

wrapping up the era of the foundation

on December 31, 2045.

Gates anticipates that many opinions will be expressed about him once he has passed away, yet he is resolute in his desire not to be remembered merely as someone who accumulated great wealth before dying.

There are numerous pressing issues that require attention, so I can’t afford to keep resources that could otherwise assist people.

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“That’s why I’ve chosen to return my fortune to society more rapidly than initially intended. Over the coming two decades, I plan to donate nearly all of my wealth via the Gates Foundation for the purpose of enhancing and safeguarding lives globally. The foundation will then cease operations indefinitely as of December 31, 2045,” he stated.

The cofounder of Microsoft also mentioned that he intended to donate 99% of his fortune by 2045, leaving only about $1.6 billion, which represents 1%, for himself and his family.

Bill and Melinda’s foundation

The millionaire and his ex-wife,

Melinda French

, initiated the Gates Foundation in 2000, and up until now, it has

invested more than $100 billion in worldwide healthcare

, education, poverty alleviation, vaccine development, medical research, and emergency aid.

This represents a shift from our initial strategy. Back in 2000, when Melinda and I established the Gates Foundation, we incorporated a provision into the organization’s founding document stating that it would conclude operations many years following our passing. However, a few years back, I started reconsidering this method.

“Recently, incorporating feedback from our board, I am convinced that we can reach the foundation’s objectives within a reduced timeframe, particularly by intensifying crucial investments and offering greater assurance to our collaborators,” he remarked.

“I feel profound pride in what we’ve achieved over our initial 25-year period,” Gates remarked, emphasizing the foundation’s accomplishments.

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We played a crucial role in establishing Gavi and the Global Fund, organizations that revolutionized how global health resources such as vaccines and antiretroviral medications are acquired and distributed. Collectively, these initiatives have rescued over 80 million lives up until now.

Working alongside Rotary International, we’ve played a crucial role in revitalizing efforts to eliminate polio,” he said. “We also backed the development of a novel rotavirus vaccine which has cut down child deaths due to diarrhea by 75%. Throughout this process, we assembled various organizations including other foundations, nonprofits, government bodies, international agencies, and businesses to collaborate on solving major issues—a commitment we’ll uphold over the coming two decades.