Melinda French Gates Resigns From The Gates Foundation

Melinda French Gates, co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, announced her resignation from the foundation on Monday (May 13). French Gates, who co-founded the foundation with her former husband, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, plans to start her own philanthropic venture.

"Under the terms of my agreement with Bill, in leaving the foundation, I will have an additional $12.5 billion to commit to my work on behalf of women and families," French Gates wrote in a post on LinkedIn. "I'll be sharing more about what that will look like in the near future."

French Gates has been a strong advocate for women's issues and empowerment during her tenure at the foundation. However, she has expressed feeling overshadowed by her husband's influence. The couple announced their divorce in 2021 but initially planned to continue their joint philanthropic work.

Bill Gates acknowledged his ex-wife's significant contributions to the foundation's strategies and initiatives, particularly in global health and gender equality. 

"I want to thank Melinda for her critical contributions to the Foundation from its very beginning. As a co-founder and co-chair Melinda has been instrumental in shaping our strategies and initiatives, significantly impacting global health and gender equality. I am sorry to see her leave, but I am sure she will have a huge impact in her future philanthropic work," Gates wrote on LinkedIn.

The foundation will change its name to the Gates Foundation, and Bill Gates will become the sole chair. French Gates' departure had been anticipated since the couple's divorce announcement in 2021. The foundation had a contingency plan in place to ensure the continuity of its work, which included the addition of four new members to its board of trustees in January 2022.