Gates Foundation Donates $912 Million to Global Fund to Tackle Deadly Diseases

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has announced a $912 million donation to the Global Fund, aimed at combating AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria over the next three years.

The pledge was unveiled by Bill Gates during the 2025 Goalkeepers event held on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on Monday.

Gates praised the Global Fund as “one of the world’s most effective lifesaving initiatives,” noting that it has saved over 70 million lives since its creation in 2002. He highlighted that the fund has cut deaths from AIDS, TB, and malaria by more than 60 percent, while also strengthening global health security.

“Every dollar invested in the Global Fund delivers an estimated $19 in health and economic returns. With millions of lives at stake, the level of investment over the next three years will determine whether the world saves lives, curbs HIV, TB and malaria, and bolsters economies,” Gates said.

The donation brings the Gates Foundation’s total contribution to the Global Fund to $4.9 billion since 2002, making it one of the largest backers of the initiative. Gates expressed hope that the pledge would encourage governments, philanthropists, and the private sector to step up their support for the Fund’s Eighth Replenishment, co-hosted by South Africa and the United Kingdom.

Gates also warned that many donor countries have recently slashed global health budgets due to domestic challenges and high debt levels, noting that development assistance for health fell by 21 percent between 2024 and 2025, reaching a 15-year low.

“If these cuts persist, they could reverse decades of progress that halved child mortality since 2000. Humanity is at a crossroads. Global leaders now have a once-in-a-generation chance to ensure no child dies from preventable causes,” Gates said.

The Gates Foundation outlined a roadmap for progress that includes renewed investments, innovative health tools, and stronger primary healthcare systems. Among the innovations cited were new malaria-prevention tools, long-acting HIV drugs, maternal vaccines, and the use of artificial intelligence for faster and cheaper delivery of medicines.

Over 1,000 leaders from governments, philanthropy, and the private sector attended the Goalkeepers event, which focused on saving children’s lives and reigniting global commitments to health equity.

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