How the Gates Foundation spent $5.4 billion in 2024

Last week, Bill Gates announced that his foundation would be doubling its philanthropic spending to $200 billion for the next two decades until it closes its doors in 2045. But how has Gates spent his money so far? Can the foundation’s past spending tell us anything about its likely future plans? $5.4 billion was committed by the Gates Foundation in 2024, of which around a third — $1.8 billion — went to global health programs, which include different subtopics ranging from technological innovation to HIV. The data for this analysis comes from the committed grants data from the foundation’s website. While this represents a very substantial proportion of the foundation’s spending, it has said it is not a full representation, excluding program-related investment, among other things. How did the Gates Foundation spend its money? The Gates Foundation divides spending into a number of different issue areas. A large number of grants fall into more than one of these issue areas. These multisectoral grants total $658.9 million. Among grants that solely focus on one area, the largest categories are global health and global development, which received $1.5 billion and $934.5 million, respectively. The Gates Foundation also identifies the region where each grant is spent. The foundation awarded the most grants to programs that serve the Africa region with a total of $1.7 billion — roughly 30% of the total. Roughly $1.2 billion of all grants — 22% of the total — were multiregion grants, that is, those targeting two or more regions — amounting to a total of $1.2 billion. Another $1.1 billion — 20% of the total — was labeled as having a global scope. Looking at where the grantees come from, the foundation most commonly funded organizations from the United States, with $2.8 billion; followed by those from Switzerland, with $454 million; and then those from the United Kingdom, with $445.8 million. Gates Foundation’s top health grantees of 2024 The organizations in this list have been a constant for the past few years, but now there are new faces in the top 10 list. Where a grant is multisectoral, but includes global health as one of its issue areas, we have included it here as a health grant. Medicines for Malaria Venture MMV received $181.7 million from the foundation for two awards, chiefly $180 million for the development of new drugs for malaria prevention and treatment. The Task Force for Global Health, Inc. The Task Force for Global Health received four awards, amounting to $121.8 million. By far the biggest grant was $120 million for the identification of the causes of child death and stillbirth in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Innovative Vector Control Consortium IVCC received a single award worth $85 million to work on ensuring the long-term sustainability of vector control as a component of malaria eradication. Clinton Health Access Initiative CHAI was given $82.4 million for eight awards. The largest of which amounts to $74.8 million to reduce the malaria burden in target countries across the global south. World Health Organization WHO received 16 awards for global health alone, worth $52.8 million. The largest amount was $22.8 million to support WHO’s Department of Immunization, Vaccines, and Biologicals. Khan Academy Khan Academy received a single award worth $46 million for the development of classroom products to increase student learning. New Venture Fund The New Venture Fund received one award worth $41 million to advance women in the health sector into positions of leadership. Bloomberg Philanthropies Bloomberg Philanthropies got one award worth $40 million to support activities under the Data for Health Initiative. The Center for Vaccine Development Mali CVD-Mali got four awards worth $36.1 million, the largest of which is a $32.9 million grant to scale up mass treatment to improve child survival in Mali. International AIDS Vaccine Initiative IAVI received three awards worth $30.1 million. The largest grant is worth $19 million and is for the advancement of HIV/AIDS-supported projects to the clinical evaluation stage. Top grantees for other focus programs This section will focus on grantees for single-division awards. Executive The Obama Foundation is the top grantee for a single award worth $10 million for general operating support. Finance and resource planning The Islamic Development Bank tops the list with a single award worth $100 million for the replenishment of the Lives and Livelihoods Fund. Gender equality The United Nations Population Fund received six awards under this division, worth a total of $112.2 million. The largest of them, worth $45 million, is to increase contraceptive availability and financing. Global development The World Health Organization received 11 awards under this division, worth $101.4 million. The largest of them, worth $52 million, is to stop the transmission and outbreak of polio virus type 2. Global growth & opportunity The AfricaNenda Foundation is the top awardee for this division. It received a single award worth $70 million for continued support and ensuring access to digital payment schemes across Africa. Global policy and advocacy Duke University received two awards worth $13.2 million under this division. The largest grant is worth $13 million and it is aimed at demonstrating the benefits of a comprehensive approach to product introduction. US program The High Tech High Graduate School of Education tops this division with two awards worth $31.3 million. The largest of the two amounts to $31.2 million, which is aimed at advancing and improving education by creating a national hub. Try out Devex Pro Funding today with a free five-day trial, and explore funding opportunities from over 850 sources in addition to our analysis and news content.