Melinda French Gates announces departure from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation



Melinda French Gates has announced that she plans to step down from her post as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

"After careful thought and reflection, I have decided to resign from my role as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. My last day of work at the foundation will be June 7th," she said in a statement. "Under the terms of my agreement with Bill, in leaving the foundation, I will have an additional $12.5 billion to commit to my work on behalf of women and families. I'll be sharing more about what that will look like in the near future."

'Melinda, this is so exciting.'

Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates divorced in 2021, according to People, ending their more than a quarter century-long marriage.

"We will be changing our name to the Gates Foundation to honor Bill Sr.'s legacy and Melinda's contributions, and Bill will become the sole Chair of the foundation," the organization's CEO, Mark Suzman, noted.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton responded to Melinda French Gates' announcement, tweeting, "Melinda, this is so exciting. Thanks for everything you've already done, and I can’t wait to see all you do next. Onward!"

— (@)

"As a co-founder and co-chair Melinda has been instrumental in shaping our strategies and initiatives, significantly impacting global health and gender equality," Bill Gates stated. "I am sorry to see Melinda leave, but I am sure she will have a huge impact in her future philanthropic work."

— (@)

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Bill Gates says that he plans to donate most of his fortune to the Gates Foundation and will eventually fall from the ranks of the world's wealthiest people



Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates says that he plans to donate most of his vast fortune to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and that he will someday cease to be numbered among the world's wealthiest individuals.

"As I look to the future, my plan is to give all my wealth to the foundation other than what I spend on myself and my family. I do some giving and investing in U.S. health care issues, including Alzheimer’s, outside the foundation. Through Breakthrough Energy, I will continue to invest and give money to address climate change. Overall I expect that the work in these areas will make money, which will also go to the foundation. I will move down and eventually off of the list of the world’s richest people," Gates wrote in a Wednesday post on his Gates Notes blog website.

\u201cAs I look to the future, I plan to give virtually all of my wealth to the foundation. I will move down and eventually off of the list of the world\u2019s richest people.\u201d
— Bill Gates (@Bill Gates) 1657724634

Gates announced that he is donating $20 billion to the foundation, which will be ramping up its spending to $9 billion per year by 2026. "To help make this spending increase possible, I am transferring $20 billion to the foundation’s endowment this month," he wrote.

Gates also noted that Warren Buffett has donated massive sums of wealth to the foundation over the years.

"Although it is named the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, basically half of our resources to date have come from Warren Buffett’s gifts," Gates wrote. "Since 2006, Warren has gifted the foundation $35.7 billion, including his most recent gift of $3.1 billion in June. The actual value of these gifts is about $45 billion if you include the appreciation of the Berkshire Hathaway stock after it was given."

Last month when the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling that struck down Roe v. Wade, Gates decried the decision.

"This is a sad day. Reversing Roe v. Wade is an unjust and unacceptable setback. And it puts women’s lives at risk, especially the most disadvantaged," he tweeted.

In his post on Wednesday, Gates wrote, "I believe the reversal of abortion rights in the U.S. is a huge setback for gender equality, for women’s health, and for overall human progress. The potential for even further regression is scary. It will put lives at risk for women, people of color, and anyone living on the margins."