The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has been at the frontline of the coronavirus conversation. Over $250 million in funding has been announced by the Gates Foundation to support the response. This covers support for government preparedness and response as well as innovative approaches to detect and treat the deadly virus.
South Asia and Africa are priority regions for the foundation, with insight into the recipients of these funds slowly emerging in the Gates Foundation’s grantmaking database, which currently contains data up to March this year.
The database provides insight into $61.1 billion in grants awarded to 6,161 recipients and over 21,000 initiatives since 1995. With the average 2020 grant value at $2.5 million, COVID-19’s impact could mean a year of higher financial investment compared to 2018 and 2019.