Amid preparations for closure, the Gates Foundation presented a $9 billion budget and announced staff reductions.

News Topical, Digital Desk : The Gates Foundation, one of the world's largest philanthropic organizations, has announced its largest budget yet for the year 2026. The foundation will spend $9 billion (about ₹75,000 crore) next year.

A significant portion of this funding will be invested in areas such as global health, vaccination, and women's health. However, the foundation also announced plans to reduce its staff by 500 over the next five years. This decision comes after the foundation made a surprise announcement last year that it would close completely in 2045.

Will donate $200 billion in the next 20 years

Bill Gates has already stated that he will spend most of his wealth by giving away $200 billion over the next 20 years. As part of this plan, the foundation's board has approved this record budget for 2026, up from $8.74 billion in 2025.

The new budget will provide more funding for programs such as women's health, vaccine development, polio eradication, artificial intelligence ( AI) , and American education. The board also determined that the foundation's operating expenses, such as staff salaries, offices, infrastructure, and travel, will not exceed $1.25 billion, approximately 14 % of the total budget .

To maintain this spending limit, the foundation could eliminate up to 500 positions from its 2,375 employees by 2030. This would include some vacant positions that will not be filled. Foundation CEO Mark Suzman said these cuts would not be sudden.

Child death toll rises

" This will be a deliberate and gradual process. 500 is the maximum, we don't necessarily have to go there, " he said . According to Suzman, if expenses are not controlled, operating costs could rise by 18 % in the coming years , which the board wants to prevent.

Last year, the US and other countries cut humanitarian aid, impacting many programs related to poverty and global health. In this context, the foundation's role has become even more important. Bill Gates recently wrote that child deaths have increased for the first time this century, rising from 4.6 million in 2024 to 4.8 million in 2025. He says the next five years will be difficult, but he remains optimistic about the long term.

In which areas will the foundation spend ?

• Maternal and child health
• Prevention of infectious diseases
• Poverty eradication

Bill Gates has warned that AI could lead to job losses and the risk of misuse. Despite this, the foundation is pushing AI forward. Last year, it joined a group of funders committing $1 billion over 15 years to AI- based tools.

Will increase presence in India and Africa

The Gates Foundation will further strengthen its presence in India and Africa. An Africa and India Officers Division has been created. Some HIV and TB-related positions at the Seattle headquarters will be reduced, as these programs will now be largely managed from the African offices.

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