We post our audited financial statements and 990-PFs to the site as they become available. Typically, the financial statement for each year is posted the summer of the following year, while the 990-PF is available in the fall of the following year.

In October of 2006, our trustees created a two-entity structure: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (foundation) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust (trust). Both entities are tax-exempt private foundations that are structured as a charitable trust. Each entity has a distinct purpose, as explained below.

The foundation works to reduce inequities around the world. In the developing world, it focuses on improving health and alleviating extreme poverty. In the United States, the foundation supports programs related to education. In its local region, the foundation promotes strategies and programs that help low income families. The foundation is based in Seattle, Washington, with regional offices in Washington, D.C.; Beijing, China; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Berlin, Germany; New Delhi, India; Abuja, Nigeria; Johannesburg, South Africa; and London, United Kingdom. Its trustees are Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates, and Warren Buffett.

The trust holds the donated investment assets from Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates and receives contributions from Warren Buffett. The primary role of the trust is to manage the investment assets and transfer proceeds to the foundation as necessary to achieve the foundation’s charitable goals. Its trustees are Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates.

Gates Philanthropy Partners is a public charity established in 2016 that provides a streamlined, transparent way for donors to align their gifts with the charitable purpose of the Gates Foundation.