On Monday, May 13th, Melinda French Gates, the former wife of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, announced that she will be leaving the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the charity organization they co-founded, in June.
Melinda and Gates divorced in 2021, ending their 27-year-long marriage. Despite their divorce, they had attempted to continue collaborating on projects within the philanthropic foundation. The Gates Foundation is one of the largest private charitable organizations in the world.
In a statement posted on social media platform X on Monday, Melinda wrote: “After much thought and consideration, I have decided to step down from my role as co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. June 7th will be my last day working at the foundation.”
“This decision was not an easy one,” she added.
Melinda mentioned that she has $12.5 billion in funds available for other initiatives.
“Per the terms of the agreement I reached with Bill, upon leaving the foundation, I will receive an additional $12.5 billion to be used for work representing women and families. I will share more information about this in the near future,” she wrote.