Divorce of Melinda and Bill Gates Could Shake Philanthropy Worldwide
Novinite.com
05 May 2021, 23:11 GMT+10
As much as Bill and Melinda Gates might want to keep their pending divorce private, the split between the billionaire co-founders of the world s largest private foundation is sure to have very public consequences, with the breakup having already sent a wave of anxious uncertainty through the worlds of philanthropy and community health.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, with an endowment of nearly billion, donates about billion annually to causes around the world. Last year, it donated billion to combat COVID-19 through the administering of vaccines.
Updated: May 5 2021, 8:16 ET
MELINDA Gates will not change her name after divorcing her husband and Microsoft co-founder Bill, court documents show.
The philanthropist, 56, filed the divorce petition on Monday as she branded their marriage irretrievably broken .
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Melinda Gates will keep her surname after the divorce with Bill has been finalizedCredit: Getty Images - Getty
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The pair announced on Monday that they had decided to end their marriage after a great deal of thoughtCredit: Getty
It seems that Melinda will not revert back to her maiden name French once the divorce has been finalized, according to court documents.
By: DW
The Gates Foundation said the couple would remain as co-chairs and trustees of the organisation.
Washington: Bill and Melinda Gates have pledged to continue their philanthropic work together despite their divorce. Some experts, however, say that might prove to be easier said than done.
The Billionaire benefactors have said they would be splitting up after 27 years of marriage, raising concerns around the future of one of the biggest and most influential charity organisations in the world.
The couple with a combined wealth in excess of $130 billion (€108 billion) have been among the most bighearted philanthropists over the past few decades, gifting more than $36 billion to the nonprofit Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation since its launch in 2000.
The split between the billionaire cofounders of the world’s largest private foundation is sure to have very public consequences. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, with an endowment of nearly $50 billion, donates about $5 billion annually to causes around the world.