Melinda Gates is now in the business of righting those same inequities she saw as a young girl–and more. As co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation with her husband, Bill, and father-in-law, Bill Sr., she is working toward the mandate to give “every person the chance to live a healthy productive life.”

“If we didn’t have collaboration, we wouldn’t get anything done,” says Melinda Gates. Case-in-point: the new pneumococcal vaccine was developed by the scientific community, purchased by the Global Alliance for Vaccines, and rolled out by the Kenyan government.

Learn more about collaboration in philanthropy at The Bridgespan Group.