Melinda French Gates announced Monday that she will resign as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Seattle-based philanthropic organization she started with her ex-husband in 2000.
In a message shared via the foundation and posted on X, French Gates said her last day of work at the foundation will be June 7.
The organization will change its name to the Gates Foundation, according to a message to employees from CEO Mark Suzman.
“This is a not a decision I came to lightly,” she wrote. “I am immensely proud of the foundation that Bill and I built together and of the extraordinary work it is doing to address inequities around the world.”
She added that she is taking the step “with full confidence that the foundation is in strong shape.”
French Gates will also be leaving with $12.5 billion as part of an agreement with Bill Gates, which she said she will commit to her work on behalf of women and families.
In a statement shared via the Gates Foundation, Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, thanked French Gates for her “critical contributions” to the foundation from its start.
“As a co-founder and co-chair Melinda has been instrumental in shaping our strategies and initiatives, significantly impacting global health and gender equality,” Gates said. “I am sorry to see her leave, but I am sure she will have a huge impact in her future philanthropic work.”
Gates said he remained fully committed to the work of the foundation going forward.
In an email to Gates Foundation employees (see below), Suzman said that French Gates will not be bringing any of the foundation’s work with her when she leaves.
“We will be changing our name to the Gates Foundation to honor Bill Sr.’s legacy and Melinda’s contributions, and Bill will become the sole Chair of the foundation,” Suzman wrote.
Suzman called the departure “very sad news” and said French Gates played an essential role in all that the foundation accomplished over 24 years.
“Her vision and influence will leave a profound and lasting legacy that we will build on going forward,” Suzman said in a video message on X.
Bill Gates Sr. helped launch the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which was formed through the consolidation of multiple charitable organizations supported by the Gates family and Microsoft.
The organization grew to become the world’s largest charitable foundation and a powerhouse in global health. The foundation employs more than 2,000 people and has an endowment of more than $75 billion, as of Dec. 31.
After 27 years of marriage, Gates and French Gates announced their decision to divorce in May 2021 — a split that left the future of the foundation in doubt. In July 2021, the foundation announced a two-year trial period to see how effectively the pair could work together.
In 2022, Gates said that he could see the foundation winding down in 25 years, with him and French Gates still around “to help make sure it stays on track.” French Gates countered that prediction a month later by saying that foundation governance documents say it will last “until 20 years after the death of the last of us.”
French Gates’ funds and philanthropic efforts could be marshalled through Pivotal Ventures, an independent executive office that she established as an organization in 2015.
The organization gave her the opportunity to pursue ideas, projects and investments that didn’t fit within the structure of the Gates Foundation.
Since the divorce, Pivotal Ventures has invested in initiatives that support its mission of empowering women and families, taken steps to promote women running for public offices, and promoted policy.
But it hasn’t made much of a splash — particularly compared to efforts by MacKenzie Scott, who divorced her tech mogul husband, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, in 2019. Scott has given away $17.3 billion to charitable efforts, dramatically disrupting the philanthropic sector by rapidly deploying her wealth to nonprofits.
French Gates previously discussed her commitment to giving away much of her wealth, and her passion for engaging with recipients of her philanthropy, versus just writing checks.
“There’s lots of ways to do philanthropy and that’s great,” she said. “But I need to see it and feel it.”
Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman’s message to employees:
Dear all,
I am writing to share some important news. Melinda has decided to resign from her role as Co-Chair of the foundation. Her last day of work at the foundation will be June 7.
Melinda cares deeply about the foundation and is extremely proud of all of you and the work you do every day to help millions of people live better lives. She made this decision, after considerable reflection, based on how she wants to spend the next chapter of her philanthropy. Melinda has new ideas about the role she wants to play in improving the lives of women and families in the U.S. and around the world. And, after a difficult few years watching women’s rights rolled back in the U.S. and around the world, she wants to use this next chapter to focus specifically on altering that trajectory.
I recognize this is very sad news, and we all need time to process it. Many of you have worked closely with Melinda or were drawn to the foundation because of her global leadership, particularly in gender equality, and her ability to connect our work to the people who need support the most. In starting the foundation and setting our values, she has played an essential role in all that we’ve accomplished over the past 24 years. I know how beloved Melinda is here. This is difficult news for me, too. Like you, I truly admire Melinda, and I will deeply miss working with her and learning from her.
I want to reassure you that the millions of people our work serves and the thousands of partners we work alongside can continue to count on the foundation. With Melinda and Bill’s strong encouragement, I am more committed than ever to leading the foundation. I’ve also spoken with the Executive Leadership Team and each of our independent board members, who are all committed to carrying out the foundation’s work. As the world faces profound inequity and suffering, we all believe our role is more important than ever.
Bill and Melinda created the foundation with a simple belief: All lives have equal value. I believe wholeheartedly in our mission that everyone deserves the opportunity to live a healthy and productive life. I have been reminded firsthand in recent trips from Texas to Ethiopia about the unique role the Gates Foundation plays in providing opportunities and changing lives.
Even in this transition, it’s important to remember that we are part of something historic. It’s a unique privilege to be part of an institution that exists solely to make the world better – with the resources to make a real difference.
In our first quarter century, guided by Bill Gates, Sr. and with the immense generosity and vision of Bill, Melinda, and Warren Buffett, we have made significant contributions to the world, saving and improving tens of millions of lives in partnership with a network of thousands of brilliant partners. Next year, we will celebrate our 25th anniversary, looking back at our historic impact and looking forward to a future where more people can thrive – no matter where they are born.
As we move to an unprecedented annual payout of $9 billion, we have the opportunity to continue to reduce the number of women who die in childbirth and children who die before their fifth birthdays. Eradicate polio and possibly even malaria. Expand the number of women who are running their own businesses and pulling their families out of poverty. Ensure more people in the United States and around the world have access to the tools and resources they need to educate and feed their children and take care of their health.
Melinda will not be bringing any of the foundation’s work with her when she leaves. We will be changing our name to the Gates Foundation to honor Bill Sr.’s legacy and Melinda’s contributions, and Bill will become the sole Chair of the foundation.
As Bill and Melinda both stressed to me, the foundation today is stronger than it has ever been, and that’s thanks to all of you and our partners. Collectively, your expertise, passion for the mission, and commitment to impact – measured in lives saved and opportunities provided – inspire me every day to do the best job I possibly can as your CEO. I look forward to continuing that work with you now and into the future, and I know we all wish Melinda the best in her next chapter.
Mark
