Bill Gates To Donate $3B in Stock Dividends to Foundation For Education, Health Initiatives, Including HIV/AIDS Programs
Microsoft Chair Bill Gates on Tuesday announced plans to donate $3 billion from the company's planned one-time stock dividend to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's technology, education and health initiatives, including HIV/AIDS programs, the New York Times reports. Under a plan announced on Tuesday to distribute $75 billion to shareholders over the next four years, Microsoft stockholders will receive a one-time dividend payment of $3 per share. Gates, who is the company's largest stockholder, will earn about $3 billion from his 1.1 billion shares (Musil, New York Times, 7/21). The foundation last week at the XV International AIDS Conference in Bangkok, Thailand, announced it will contribute an additional $50 million to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, bringing its total contribution to $150 million (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report [1], 7/15). It also announced a $44.7 million grant aimed at curbing HIV-related TB (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report [2], 7/15). The foundation has given about $1.3 billion in grants for HIV, tuberculosis and reproductive health initiatives since its inception (Foundation a Web site, 7/21). "The pledge today is recognition that our world, the nation and our region -- now more than ever -- can and should dramatically improve equity in health, education and access to information and human services for vulnerable families," Gates said in a statement (New York Times, 7/21).NPR's "All Things Considered" on Wednesday included an interview with Chronicle of Philanthropy reporter Ian Wilhelm about Gates' plans to donate funds from the stock dividend to the foundation (Siegel, "All Things Considered," NPR, 7/21). The complete segment is available online in RealPlayer. This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.