Bill Gates
My mom never had the opportunity to see the Giving Pledge, but I like to think she’d see her influence in its work if she could. I’m lucky that my dad—who played a huge role in shaping my philanthropy—lived to see the pledge become a reality. He used to say, 'There’s no problem bigger than we are.' I never doubted him, but the work of the Giving Pledge gives me absolute certainty that he was right."
Pledge letter
November 30, 2021
When I was a kid, my parents gave me an allowance every week. I could spend it any way I wanted, but my parents used to ask me at the dinner table how much of it I was planning to give to the Salvation Army at Christmas.
Their message was clear: if you’re in a position to help somebody, you should do it.
My parents taught me what generosity looked like through how they used their time and resources. When the time came to choose what to do with my wealth from Microsoft, I knew I had to follow their example. I decided that the vast majority of my wealth would go toward helping as many people as possible.
The vast majority of that giving is through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. When we first opened our doors back in 2000, it was built around the simple idea that all lives have equal value. I saw a world where too often the circumstances of someone’s birth determined the opportunities they were given. No child should lack access to life-saving medicines or a quality education simply because of where he or she lives, and the foundation was created to address deeply unfair inequities around the globe.
More than two decades later, that idea—every person deserves the chance to live a healthy and productive life—continues to drive everything the foundation does. I’m proud of all we have achieved so far, from supporting the vaccination of more than 800 million children to helping schools keep more kids on the track to graduation. The foundation’s mission has grown over time, but it remains focused on expanding opportunity for the world’s poorest people and improving education in the United States.
The foundation is my top philanthropic priority, even as my giving in other areas has grown over the years—primarily in mitigation of climate change and tackling Alzheimer’s disease.
In 2010, Melinda French Gates, Warren Buffett and I founded the Giving Pledge. The Giving Pledge has proven to be an invaluable resource and a constant source of inspiration. It’s amazing to learn from my fellow Pledgers and find new ways together to maximize our positive impact on the world.
My mom never had the opportunity to see the Giving Pledge, but I like to think she’d see her influence in its work if she could. I’m lucky that my dad—who played a huge role in shaping my philanthropy—lived to see the pledge become a reality. He used to say, “There’s no problem bigger than we are.” I never doubted him, but the work of the Giving Pledge gives me absolute certainty that he was right.
I’m honored to be part of this community of problem solvers.
Parents all over the world do their best to give their children great opportunities. They work to give their children every chance to pursue their own dreams.
However for too many parents, their dreams of giving their families better lives are dashed. In the United States, their children don’t get the education they need to succeed in life. In the developing world, their children succumb to diseases that have long since been eradicated in rich countries.
Years ago, when we began to learn about global health, we were especially shocked to read that one highly preventable disease — rotavirus — was killing half a million children every year. Airplane crashes are always front-page news, yet here was a killer of half a million children every year, and most people couldn’t put a name to it, much less put a stop to it.
We have committed the vast majority of our assets to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help stop preventable deaths such as these, and to tear down other barriers to health and education that prevent people from making the very most of their lives. Our animating principle is that all lives have equal value. Put another way, it means that we believe every child deserves the chance to grow up, to dream and do big things.
We have been blessed with good fortune beyond our wildest expectations, and we are profoundly grateful. But just as these gifts are great, so we feel a great responsibility to use them well. That is why we are so pleased to join in making an explicit commitment to the Giving Pledge.
The idea of the pledge came out of discussions we had with other givers about what they were doing, about what had worked in philanthropy and what had not worked. Everyone shared how giving had made their lives richer. Everyone who attended was inspired by listening to the others’ passion and encouraged to do even more.
For the two of us, because we see amazing progress every day, but also, how much more work remains, we’re honored to be a part of this pledge effort.
For example, to us, vaccines are miracles, tiny vessels of hope and promise. And the world has made progress in vaccinating millions of children. But there are still millions more who die of preventable diseases.
So we want to make sure lifesaving vaccines reach everyone who needs them, and that the world develops new vaccines.
We’ve seen similar progress in America’s education system. We have visited schools that are breaking down old barriers and preparing every child for college and life. These are great schools—but there are not nearly enough of them. Now the task is to make sure that every student gets the same opportunity to succeed in college and in life.
Both of us were fortunate to grow up with parents who taught us some tremendously important values. Work hard. Show respect. Have a sense of humor. And if life happens to bless you with talent or treasure, you have a responsibility to use those gifts as well and as wisely as you possibly can. Now we hope to pass this example on to our own children.
We feel very lucky to have the chance to work together in giving back the resources we are stewards of. By joining the Giving Pledge effort, we’re certain our giving will be more effective because of the time we will spend with this group. We look forward to sharing what a wonderful experience this has been for us and learning from the experience of others.
Best wishes,
