Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, is the standout tech entrepreneur turned philanthropist. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has an endowment of over $40bn and has given away $41.3bn in grants to date. The Foundation gave out $4.6bn in 2016 (vs $4.2bn in 2015) to various causes. Bill Gates has also led by example by encouraging other tech and business leaders to donate a large portion of their personal fortunes. The Gates Foundation is guided by the belief that every life has equal value. Its focus in developing countries is to improve people’s health and lift them out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the USA, its focus is to give those people with the fewest resources access to the opportunities to succeed in school and life.

The Gates Foundation was launched in 2000 and is controlled by Bill Gates, his wife Melinda Gates and financier Warren Buffett. Warren Buffet, the 2nd richest person in the world, has donated over $19bn of his fortune to the Gates Foundation. One differentiating feature of the Gates Foundation is that it applies business techniques to giving, which makes it a leader in what is known as ‘venture philanthropy’. The Gates Foundation is based in Seattle with offices throughout the world including London, which was opened in 2010 to allow the foundation to work closely with European and African partners, and people who receive grants.

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