A recent report from The Journal has stated that Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates are considering adding a board member and a director to their 50 billion dollar foundation. This comes on the heels of the divorce announcement from the two of them on May 3, 2021.
The report says French-Gates is pushing heavily for the added board member, which would be the first time a change was made to the board since the opening of the foundation in 2000. Currently there are three members on the board: Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, and Melinda French-Gates.
The foundation employs over 1,600 people and is one of the largest foundations. CEO Mark Suzman has said that there has been no decision made yet and the two are both still committed to working together on the foundation.
The report released by The Journal says that they are pushing for a new board trustee to ensure the safety and longevity of the foundation. Their foundation focuses on public health, emergency relief, education and poverty. The foundation on average gives away five billion dollar a year in grants.
Bill Gates stepped down as CEO of Microsoft in 2008 to focus on their foundation. Then in March 2020, Gates also stepped down from the board of Microsoft and Berkshire Hathaway for the same reason.
