Philanthropic Partnerships

Our goal
To inspire and enable more informed and intentional generosity by all.
Staff and volunteers at United Way of King County in Washington State load items for community distribution.
Staff and volunteers at United Way of King County in Washington State load items for community distribution.

At a glance

  • Giving in all its forms—time, money, talent—helps people shape the world they want to live in.
  • When people have the right tools, information, and inspiration, their giving can advance equity and accelerate the pace of positive change in the world.
  • We work with givers and philanthropic organizations around the globe as they hone their giving to achieve more.
  • We support research, innovation, collaboration, and knowledge sharing to enhance giving, strengthen the philanthropic sector, and tackle the greatest inequities in our world.
Our strategy

Our strategy

Philanthropy thrives in the presence of bold thinking, effective tools, and norms that nurture a culture of giving. The Philanthropic Partnerships team empowers donors to achieve more with their giving, and it invests in organizations that strengthen the philanthropic sector in the United States, China, India, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.

The needs of today are enormous, but so is our ability to meet those needs creatively.
Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates
Latest grants
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Latest updates

Melinda French Gates’s $15bn vision
Melinda French Gates’s $15bn vision

In the Financial Times’ annual “How to Give It” issue, Melinda French Gates highlights the catalytic power of donor collaboratives to “address root causes by changing systems” to advance gender equality and other complex societal challenges.

A medical worker collects a swab sample from a mother for COVID-19 tests at a hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Aug.16, 2020.
COVID-19 prompts surge in generosity for Gates Philanthropy Partners

Generous donors to Gates Philanthropy Partners are making a huge impact on pandemic response, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and other low-resource regions that have been hard-hit by COVID-19.

Areas of focus

Areas of focus

The beauty of philanthropy is in its diversity. From Andrew Carnegie’s gift to create the U.S. public library system to the charitable support for smallpox eradication and global giving in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, philanthropy comes in many forms and is ingrained in cultural traditions the world over.

Our team customizes our engagements across regions and levels of giving to enhance and enable generosity and to maximize its impact.

To motivate and amplify the generosity of everyday givers, we support research, experimentation, and product development so everyone can make a difference, regardless of the amount of time or resources they have to give. Sign up for the Giving By All newsletter to receive monthly updates on the work we are funding and other news from the world of giving.

For philanthropists wishing to partner with the foundation, we offer opportunities to participate in initiatives and networks that allow individuals to give together to achieve greater impact. We also administer Gates Philanthropy Partners, a public charity that enables donors to align their giving with our foundation’s priorities.

We partner with high-net-worth individuals to accelerate and inform their giving journey, most notably through our support of the Giving Pledge community.

We are helping to develop a vibrant sector of diverse, high-performing donor collaboratives that are uniquely situated to accelerate giving and direct it where it is needed most. Working alongside our partners, we are building new platforms that encourage donors to give together to maximize their impact.

We work with others in the philanthropic sector to ensure that policy and regulatory incentives for giving are preserved, established, or enhanced. We also fund partners that increase the availability and usability of data on charities and non-profits to enable more informed giving and build a stronger, smarter sector.

Why focus on philanthropic partnerships?

Why focus on philanthropic partnerships?

Philanthropy plays an important role in solving many of the world’s biggest health and development challenges. Generosity is part of what makes us human, and all cultures have strong traditions of giving and caring for their communities.

Unlike businesses or governments, philanthropists have the flexibility to explore the root causes of an issue, be bold in their vision, and fill critical gaps that can change and save lives. But at every level of wealth, individuals face an array of decisions about their giving. By sharing inspiration, learning from others, and working together, givers can accelerate the pace of positive change in the world.

We believe that when people have the right tools, information, and inspiration, they give more generously and intentionally.

More than one way to give

Whether donors have $10 or $10 million to give, they want to know their dollars are making an impact. Learn more about different areas of giving and what they do.

How can givers direct their dollars to the areas of greatest need—and trust that they’re being spent efficiently?

Treyvon Moliere (L) arbeitet während seines Praktikums mit einem Mentor zusammen. Das Praktikum wurde von YouthForce NOLA in New Orleans (Louisiana) vermittelt.
Treyvon Moliere (L) works at his internship with a mentor. The internship was placed through YouthForce NOLA in New Orleans, Louisiana. ©Gates Archive/Christiana Botic

In the United States, community foundations are an extraordinary resource. They have deep local ties and can help guide givers to the areas of greatest impact.

Donor collaboratives are a great resource for large-scale, international giving. These organizations bring givers together, provide deep expertise, and channel dollars to local organizations effectively.

Donor collaboratives and their common commitment to equity

Women share experiences of participating in gender trainings in Bihar, India.
Women share experiences of participating in gender trainings in Bihar, India. ©Gates Archive/Mansi Midha

Seventy percent of collaboratives report explicitly prioritizing gender or racial equity.

Some are issue-specific, like the END Fund, which is focused on eliminating neglected tropical diseases, or the Co-Impact Gender Fund, which supports women’s leadership. Others help specific communities. Anamaya focuses on the health and nutrition of tribal communities in India. Blue Meridian Partners looks to scale solutions that expand opportunity for people living in poverty in the United States and has raised $4.5 billion since its inception.

Are small organizations really equipped to absorb major gifts?

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles has received $20 million of the $436 million donation from author and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, one of the largest portions of the gift from the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, officials announced this week."Among the projects that will benefit are the 10 new homes that are going up in Long Beach at the intersection of Pine Avenue and 14th Street, on Wednesday, March 23, 2022.
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles received a $20 million donation from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. Photo by MediaNews Group/Long Beach Press-Telegram via Getty Images

In 2020, MacKenzie Scott began giving large, unrestricted gifts to nonprofits and educational institutions, many of them small organizations. Some people questioned whether the grants were bigger than recipient organizations could handle.

But a study by the Center for Effective Philanthropy found that nonprofit leaders who received grants from Scott reported few negative consequences and were planning for the long term to minimize risks after the grants are spent. Today, those grants are strengthening nearly 2,000 effective institutions worldwide.

Strategy leadership

Strategy leadership

Related initiatives

Related initiatives

Gates Philanthropy Partners

GPP is a public charity that enables donors to align their giving with the priorities of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. 

Giving Pledge

The Giving Pledge is a movement of philanthropists who commit to giving the majority of their wealth to philanthropy.