Who's leading WHO? A quantitative analysis of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's grants to WHO, 2000-2024.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) has been the World Health Organization's (WHO) second biggest source of funding in recent years, contributing 9.5% of WHO's revenues between 2010 and 2023 through voluntary contributions. It is widely assumed that BMGF's financial power allows it to exert considerable influence over WHO. However, very little empirical research has been undertaken into the BMGF-WHO relationship. Our study investigates how the money that BMGF gives to WHO is spent.

Methods

We constructed a dataset of BMGF grants to WHO for the period 2000-2024 by extracting and coding data retrieved from BMGF's website. The dataset was analysed to examine the number and value of grants, and the diseases or health issues and activities that were funded.<

SUBMITTER: Kennedy J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12581034 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature