Gates Foundation is one of the world’s largest charitable foundations. It funds a variety of programs that seek to improve the health, education, and well-being of people in the United States and in other countries. The foundation was established in 2000 by Bill Gates and his wife at that time, Melinda. Bill Gates cofounded Microsoft Corporation , a major developer and publisher of software for personal computers. The full name of the foundation is the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Its headquarters are in Seattle, Washington.
The Gates Foundation focuses its giving in the areas of education, global health, libraries, and the Pacific Northwest. Its education programs seek to ensure that students are prepared for college, work, and community involvement. The foundation’s global health programs promote good health care and seek to reduce the threat of disease in less developed countries. The foundation works with libraries throughout the world to increase access to computers and the internet. In its Pacific Northwest programs, the foundation provides services specifically for families in the states of Washington and Oregon.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was formed by the merger of the William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation. For the foundation’s assets, see Foundation (table: Major foundations throughout the world) .
