Set up in 1999, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation supports grantees in 49 U.S.states and the District of Columbia. Internationally, the foundation supports work in more than 130 countries.
In December 2017, the value of its endowment was 50.7 billion US-Dollars (USD). Its 2017 Direct Grantee Support totalled 4.7 billion USD.
Working closely with other global programs at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Discovery & Translational Sciences program aims to create and improve preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic interventions for infectious diseases as well as other conditions that affect mothers, infants, and children. The Foundation does this by identifying and filling gaps in scientific knowledge, creating or implementing new technology platforms that can accelerate research in support of its goals, and investing in potentially transformative ideas.
All of the Foundation’s investments advance the goal of creating solutions that can be deployed, accepted, and sustained in the developing world. To speed the translation of scientific discovery into implementable solutions, the Foundation seeks better ways to evaluate and refine potential interventions—such as vaccine candidates—before they enter costly and time-consuming late-stage clinical trials.
The Foundation seeks ideas and solutions from creative minds across the globe and from diverse fields, and invests in discovery research through a variety of mechanisms, including its Grand Challenges grant programs. Together with its Grand Challenges Partners, including government agencies and other donor institutions, the Foundation works to define areas of urgent need, foster collaboration among researchers, and build a global network of research initiatives and funders.
