The Gates Foundation announced Tuesday that it is pledging $1.6 billion over five years to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
Gavi CEO Sania Nishtar reported that the nonprofit has vaccinated 1.1 billion children in 78 low-income countries since its inception in 2000, and estimates that 19 million deaths were prevented as a result. It has been the Gates Foundation’s biggest grantee in the vaccine industry, receiving $7.7 billion prior to this announcement.
“For the first time in decades, the number of kids dying around the world will likely go up this year instead of down because of massive cuts to foreign aid. That is a tragedy,” Gates Foundation chairman Bill Gates said in a statement. “Fully funding Gavi is the single most powerful step we can take to stop it.”
In total, the Gates Foundation has spent $30.6 billion on worldwide vaccination efforts. While the foundation previously gave USAID $30 million over the years toward vaccines and nutrition, the recent federal cuts to the program worried Gates. He estimated that, without the aid, the result could be “millions of deaths,” even though he said taxpayers contribute less than 1% to the agency.
The U.S. government has provided Gavi with $300 million annually in the past, but the Trump administration has signaled that federal funding could come to an end. Nishtar estimated that the loss of U.S. federal funding could result in 1.2 million deaths over the next five years.
Gavi and the Gates Foundation have partnered to host the Global Summit: Health & Prosperity through Immunization in Brussels on Wednesday. The summit has a goal of fundraising $9 billion among industry heads and world leaders, which would fund the foundation from 2026 through 2030.
Meanwhile, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made major changes to the vaccine industry in the U.S. Earlier this month, Kennedy fired all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, citing corruption within the group. Five members had received more than $1,000 in consulting fees between 2017 and 2023 while another five members received more than $5,000 during that time. Kennedy has since replaced these members with some doctors that have spoken out against vaccination mandates.
Additionally, the COVID-19 vaccine was removed from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommended immunization schedule for healthy children and pregnant women. The Food and Drug Administration also announced it will no longer approve COVID-19 booster shots for healthy adults and children until new clinical trials have proven them safe and effective.
BILL GATES PLEDGES 99% OF HIS FORTUNE TO GATES FOUNDATION
The announcement comes after Gates pledged an estimated $107 billion to his foundation, representing about 99% of his wealth. It is among the largest charitable donations ever.
Gates also announced a tighter deadline for his foundation, ordering its closure in 20 years. The foundation began in 2000, giving it a total lifespan of less than 50 years. During the first 25 years, the foundation spent $100 billion.