Bill Gates Is Giving Away Almost All of His Money — Here's How You Can Get Some

We love a billionaire who understands that being a billionaire is absolutely unnecessary and frankly, a bit embarrassing. Unfortunately, most of the billionaires seem to disagree with this idea and are actually trying to become even wealthier. Believe it or not, there are actually a few good rich folks in the world. MacKenzie Scott, Jeff Bezos's ex-wife, got approximately $38.3 billion in Amazon stock from the divorce. Since 2019, she has donated over $19 billion to more than 2,000 organizations.

Perhaps Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates was inspired by MacKenzie's work because in May 2025 he announced a plan to give nearly all of his money away. He plans on doing this through the Gates Foundation, which, like its founder, is in possession of an epic amount of money. So, how can we get some of that money? We're asking for a friend and we are the friend.

In a message shared to the Gates Foundation website, Bill revealed that since its creation in 2000, the foundation has given away more than $100 billion. "Over the next two decades, we will double our giving," he wrote. Although Bill doesn't specifically lay out how an organization can get a slice of this pie, typically this is done through grants, which anyone can apply for.

In the website's frequently asked questions section, the foundation addresses a query about providing grant funding to the private sector. "We focus on using our resources to help solve complex, entrenched problems that affect billions of people, including the AIDS and malaria epidemics, extreme poverty, and lagging high school graduation rates for Black, Latino, and low-income students in the United States." It stands to reason that if you are trying to reach these goals, you might get a grant.

In the first two decades of its existence, The Gates Foundation, which helped create Gavi and the Global Fund, has helped save over 80 million lives. "Every step of the way, we brought together other foundations, non-profits, governments, multilateral agencies, and the private sector as partners to solve big problems — as we will continue to do for the next 20 years," said Bill.

Through The Gates Foundation, Bill wants to create a more equitable world where everyone can live happier, healthier lives. "Advances in technology are happening faster than ever, especially with artificial intelligence on the rise," he wrote. "Even with all the challenges that the world faces, I’m optimistic about our ability to make progress — because each breakthrough is yet another chance to make someone’s life better."

The foundation will be permanently shut down on Dec. 31, 2045. Originally, Bill and his ex-wife, Melinda Gates, planned to close the foundation's doors several decades after they both passed. Bill said that he began to rethink this approach a few years ago. "I now believe we can achieve the foundation’s goals on a shorter timeline, especially if we double down on key investments and provide more certainty to our partners." Good luck!