The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will prioritize in 2010 the eradication of polio, the fight against malaria and the vaccination of children against life-threatening diseases, Chief Executive Officer Jeff Raikes told the Chronicle of Philanthropy. The foundation will also continue its work on helping people from the developing world gain access to financial services and mobile technology, he added.
There will be changes in the foundation’s operations, Raikes notes. These include the creation of an ombudsman position, the promotion of real-time feedback from their grantees through appropriate communication technology tools, and the survey of charities that failed to win Gates Foundation grants. The goal is to better serve the foundation’s partners, Raikes explained.
He added that the Gates Foundation will start hiring people with more diverse backgrounds, such as those with experience seeking grants and living and working in developing countries.
“Getting a diverse set of input into what we’re doing is very important,” Raikes said.
