Bill and Melinda Gates divorce could shake up philanthropy
HALELUYA HADERO and GLENN GAMBOA, AP Business Writers
May 4, 2021
FacebookTwitterEmail
FILE - In this Feb. 1, 2019, file photo, Bill and Melinda Gates smile at each other during an interview in Kirkland, Wash. The couple announced Monday, May 3, 2021, that they are divorcing. The Microsoft co-founder and his wife, with whom he launched the world s largest charitable foundation, said they would continue to work together at The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.Elaine Thompson/AP
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.
Experts note any changes that might happen because of the split would be incremental, but some worry the divorce might affect the foundation's future plans.
May 5, 2021
This photo provided by the Ocean City Fire Department shows the wreckage from a car accident on the Route 90 bridge in Ocean City, Md., on Sunday, May 2, 2021. A bystander jumped over a highway guard rail and into a Maryland bay Sunday to rescue a child who had been thrown from a car and into the water during the crash, according to authorities. The child was ejected from a car on the Route 90 bridge in Ocean City and landed in the Assawoman Bay, the Ocean City Fire Department said in a statement. At least eight people were injured in total, the agency said. (Ocean City Fire Department via AP)
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.