Melinda French Gates is stepping down as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the world’s largest philanthropic foundation , a non-profit foundation she helped her ex-husband Bill Gates establish more than 20 years ago. On June 23, 2023, Gates left the Elysée Palace in Paris with a smile.
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Melinda French Gates is stepping down as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the world’s largest philanthropic foundation , a non-profit foundation she helped her ex-husband Bill Gates establish more than 20 years ago. On June 23, 2023, Gates left the Elysée Palace in Paris with a smile.
Christophe Einer/AP
Melinda French Gates, one of the world’s richest philanthropists, announced Monday that she will step down as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which She has helped lead the foundation since its founding in 2000.
The 59-year-old posted on X (formerly Twitter) that she was “extremely proud” of the work of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and that the decision to step down as co-chair was not an easy one.
French Gates said June 7 will be her last day at the foundation.
She wrote on
French Gates said she will receive an additional $12.5 billion for her philanthropic work as part of her severance agreement with the foundation, which she said she plans to use toward her ongoing work to support women and families. Work.
“This is a critical moment for women and girls in the United States and around the world—those fighting to protect and advance equality desperately need support,” she added.
In a separate statement posted to .
“I am sad to see Melinda go, but I believe she will have a huge impact on philanthropic work going forward,” Gates wrote.
Mark Suzman, executive director of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, wrote in a statement Monday that French Gates “cares deeply about the foundation” because he endorses her ability to connect with the people she serves. .
In the same statement, Suzman announced that the foundation would be renamed the Gates Foundation and that Bill Gates would become its sole chairman.
“Melinda has new ideas about the role she wants to play in improving the lives of women and families in the United States and around the world. And, after a difficult few years that saw women’s rights roll back in the United States and around the world, she Hope to use the next chapter to focus specifically on changing that trajectory,” Suzman wrote.
The couple, who met in 1987 and founded the foundation in 2000, are major donors addressing global health issues. Since Microsoft’s founding, Bill Gates has donated approximately $35.8 billion worth of Microsoft stock to the global organization, Forbes the report said.
In 2021, Melinda and Bill Gates announced the end of their 27-year marriage. The two said at the time that despite the end of their marriage, they still shared a belief in the foundation’s mission and would continue to work together.
“We continue to share a belief in this mission and will continue to work together at the Foundation, but we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives,” the couple wrote in a statement.
Editor’s note: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is one of NPR’s financial supporters.
