Here’s what Bill and Melinda Gates have learned from 20 years of philanthropy

Feb 26, 2020

Twenty years after they started their foundation, what have they learned? Image: REUTERS/Jason Lee

Melinda Gates

Co-Chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Our Impact

The Big Picture

Explore and monitor how Education is affecting economies, industries and global issues

A hand holding a looking glass by a lake

Crowdsource Innovation

Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale

Stay up to date:

Education

— Bill Gates

Have you read?

charity bill melinda gates foundation private investment development health education philanthropy

20 years of philanthropy. Image: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

During a visit to Gugulethu Community Health Clinic last year, the staff told us about the HIV and tuberculosis patients they see in Cape Town, South Africa. Image: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

charity bill melinda gates foundation private investment development health education philanthropy women

Over the last 20 years, science has made incredible advances against HIV. Image: UNAIDS

Why are students of color so absent in higher education? Image: National Center for Education Statistics

Three students given an opportunity. Image: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Bill meets with students at North-Grand High School in Chicago. Image: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Men huddle around a fire in Lagos, Nigeria. Image: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Africa is far behind the rest of the world in electrification. Image: International Energy Agency

Gender equality still has a long way to go. Image: UN

Bill’s mother gives a speech on our wedding day. Image: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.