In this screengrab, (L-R) Melinda Gates and Bill Gates speak during One World: Together At Home presented by Global Citizen on April, 18, 2020. (Getty Images)
What will happen to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation?
According to its financial statements, the Gates Foundation has almost $50 billion in assets and has been the world s largest private philanthropic organisation for the past 20 years. During the years 2018 and 2019, it distributed around $5 billion in grants. The news of their separating sent shockwaves through the philanthropic community, where the foundation wields significant power.
âBill and Melinda Gates really pioneered a new form of large-scale philanthropy,â David Callahan, founder, and editor of Inside Philanthropy, a digital site that covers the world of philanthropy and fundraising, to NBC news. âThey are probably the most consequential figures in philanthropy in recent history, if not ever.â