Rotary and the Gates Foundation
While Rotary International became intimately involved in the global quest to eradicate polio in the 1980s, the movement got a huge boost when the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation joined the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in 2007.However, Bill Gates' initial involvement in polio eradication efforts began in 1999.
Here are a few of the key milestones in the Gates Foundation's polio involvement:
1999: Bill and Melinda Gates and Ted Turner donated $78 million to the GPEI, funding immunization days and infrastructure in some of the world's poorest countries.
2007: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation officially joined the GPEI as a core partner, contributing financial and technical resources alongside organizations like Rotary International, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
2007: The foundation began a key partnership with Rotary International, launching a 2-to-1 funding match for Rotary's contributions toward ending polio.
2013: The foundation, along with GPEI partners, helped create a new six-year plan to deliver a polio-free world.
2022: The Gates Foundation pledged $1.2 billion toward the polio eradication effort.
2025: Rotary and the Gates Foundation renewed their partnership with a joint commitment of up to $450 million over three years.
Please consider joining the PolioPlus Society, founded in 2012, by pledging to donate $100 a year to fight polio. Click here for the pledge form. Then go to rotary.org to fulfill your pledge. There is even the option to set up a recurring payment, to make it easier to fulfill the annual commitment.
We are this close … please be a part of getting the world to the end.