Gates Foundation Commits to Historic $9 Billion Annual Payout Ahead of Planned 2045 Closure

The Gates Foundation has announced a landmark commitment to distribute $9 billion annually, completing a four-year plan to reach a steady-state budget at that level as it accelerates its mission ahead of a planned closure in 2045.

The decision, endorsed by the foundation’s governing board, follows a May announcement by foundation chair Bill Gates that the organization will invest an additional $200 billion—double what it spent during its first 25 years—before winding down operations at the end of 2045.

Accelerating Impact Before 2045

The increased annual payout is designed to fast-track progress on three core goals:

1. Ensuring no mother, child, or baby dies from a preventable cause

2. Eliminating deadly infectious diseases for the next generation

3. Helping hundreds of millions of people escape poverty and move toward long-term prosperity

Roughly 70% of the foundation’s budget is currently directed toward the first two goals through its global health work. The remaining funds largely support education in the United States and agriculture in low- and middle-income countries, both viewed as critical drivers of economic opportunity.

“The foundation’s 2045 closure deadline gives us a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make transformative progress,” said Mark Suzman, CEO of the Gates Foundation. “Ensuring as much of every dollar as possible flows toward impact is critical to achieving our ambitious goals to save and improve millions more lives over the next 20 years.”

Tightening Operations to Maximize Mission Spending

To sustain the record-high payout, the board approved a series of stewardship measures aimed at directing more resources to programs and partners. Central among them is a cap on annual operating expenditures (OpEx)—the costs of running the organization—set at no more than $1.25 billion, or approximately 14% of the foundation’s total budget based on current projections.

Operating costs include staffing, travel, facilities, and systems. By controlling these expenses, the foundation aims to prevent administrative growth from crowding out program funding, particularly amid a challenging global development financing environment.

Without the cap, operating expenditures—about 13% of total spending in 2024—were projected to rise to nearly 18% by the end of the decade.

Program Growth, Leaner Structure

Alongside the OpEx cap, the board approved budget increases for priority programs, including maternal health, polio eradication, vaccine development, and U.S. education, as well as initiatives exploring the use of artificial intelligence in education.

The new operating framework will also reduce the foundation’s headcount target from 2,375 positions by up to 500 roles by 2030, with annual adjustments based on program needs. Even as overall staffing declines, the foundation said it will continue to hire selectively for critical skills required to advance its mission.

“While progress is possible, it remains fragile,” Suzman said. “Delivering on our mandate requires transparency for our employees and partners and disciplined stewardship of the foundation’s finite resources.”

A Finite Timeline, Expanded Ambition

Based in Seattle, the Gates Foundation has long emphasized that every life has equal value. With a defined end date now guiding its strategy, the organization is reshaping how it deploys capital—spending more, sooner, while tightening internal costs—to maximize global impact before its planned closure in 2045.

The $9 billion annual payout marks one of the largest sustained philanthropic commitments in history, signaling a decisive shift toward urgency, scale, and accountability in the foundation’s final two decades.