Bill Gates Foundation Approves $9 Billion 2026 Budget, Caps Operating Costs and Plans Staff Cuts

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has announced a record budget of $9 billion for 2026 while outlining plans to gradually reduce its workforce over the next five years. The decision comes as part of the foundation’s long-term strategy to maximize programmatic spending before it winds down operations in 2045, a move first disclosed by co-founder Bill Gates last year.

According to the foundation, the new budget—its largest to date—will significantly boost funding for priority areas including global health, women’s health, vaccine development, polio eradication, artificial intelligence, and education in the United States. The allocation surpasses last year’s $8.74 billion budget and reflects the organization’s intent to intensify impact amid growing global challenges.

Alongside the expanded spending, the foundation’s board approved a cap on operating costs, limiting them to no more than $1.25 billion, or about 14 percent of the total budget. To meet this target, the foundation plans to reduce its workforce by up to 500 positions from its current staff strength of around 2,375 by 2030. Chief Executive Mark Suzman said the reductions would be implemented gradually, reviewed annually, and may include leaving some vacant roles unfilled rather than large-scale layoffs.

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Bill Gates has previously said the foundation intends to spend approximately $200 billion over the next 20 years before closing, as part of his plan to give away most of his wealth. The board’s decision reflects concerns that, without intervention, operating costs could rise to nearly 18 percent of the budget by the end of the decade, potentially diverting resources from frontline programs.

The announcement comes at a time when humanitarian and development efforts have been strained by cuts in government aid, particularly from the United States. Gates recently noted setbacks in global health indicators, including a rise in child deaths, underscoring the need for increased philanthropic support in maternal and child health, infectious disease prevention, and poverty reduction.

Despite plans to eventually close, the foundation is expanding its presence in regions such as India and Africa and increasing focus on emerging areas like artificial intelligence. Suzman said the next two decades are expected to be the most impactful period in the foundation’s history, as it applies lessons learned over the past 25 years with sharper strategic focus.

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