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☆ Bill Gates responds to skepticism about him owning 275,000 acres of farmland: 'There isn't some grand scheme involved'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Bill Gates is best-known for cofounding Microsoft, but he's also a major US landowner, having bought 275,000 acres of farmland. In his annual Reddit AMA Wednesday, Gates was asked why he has bought so much farmland. There were 895.3 million acres of farmland in America in 2021, according to a 2022 report from the Department of Agriculture. In the Reddit AMA, he also said he'll sell what he owns as money goes towards the foundation. In his Reddit AMA last year, one user said, "What do you plan to do with all the farmland you have purchased?"

☆ Melinda French Gates Adjusts to a New, Solo Role
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Betsy Mckay | Emily Glazer | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Melinda French Gates met recently with a group of fellow philanthropists to stress a need to cure what she calls one of America’s greatest ills. “We have to fix this country’s broken caregiving system,” Ms. French Gates said to the virtual session in November with wealthy people who have signed the Giving Pledge, promising to donate more than half of their fortunes to charitable causes. Philanthropy and new policies are needed, she said, “if we want to see more women unlock real power in their lives.”

☆ 'Nobody works, nobody gives a damn' anymore because of 'socialism', says Home Depot's 93-year-old cofounder
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Home Depot's cofounder told The Financial Times nobody wanted to work because of "socialism." The rise of socialism was why "nobody works, nobody gives a damn," Bernie Marcus said in an interview with The Financial Times on Thursday. I don't want to work — I'm too lazy, I'm too fat, I'm too stupid'." "I'm worried about capitalism," Marcus told The Financial Times. Despite having had five heart operations bypasses, Marcus told the FT he "would rather wear out than rust out."

☆ Bill Gates says his divorce from ex-wife Melinda French Gates was one of his 'personal low points' over the past few years
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Bill Gates said his divorce from Melinda French Gates was one of his "personal low points" over the past few years. Gates' father, Bill Gates Sr., died in September 2020. Gates and French Gates divorced in 2021 after 27 years of marriage. They continue to work together on philanthropic efforts through The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. French Gates mentioned an affair Gates had in 2000 with a Microsoft employee.

☆ This non-profit has raised over $10 million to support Indigenous women entrepreneurs: 'It's up to us to close the racial wealth gap'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Morgan Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Here's how one non-profit, Native Women Lead, is enabling Indigenous women's economic mobility:'It's up to use to close the racial wealth gap'Native Women Lead was founded in 2017 by eight Native American women entrepreneurs: Jaime Gloshay, Kalika Davis, Lisa Foreman, Kim Gleason, Vanessa Roanhorse, Alicia Ortega, Stephine Poston and Jaclyn Roessel. That conversation inspired the creation of Native Women Lead, an Albuquerque-based non-profit that aims to help Indigenous women entrepreneurs across the world access the capital, mentors, financial education and support needed to thrive in their careers and narrow the wealth gap. To date, Native Women Lead has provided about $500,000 to 65 Indigenous women entrepreneurs through the two funds, partnering with credit unions and investing firms such as Nusenda Credit Union and ImpactAssets to connect entrepreneurs with capital. While closing the wealth gap might start with funding opportunities, Native Women Lead views wealth as "more than just revenue or profits," Stephine Poston, one of the group's co-founders, says. Keeping this in mind, Native Women Lead offers wellness-focused retreats for Indigenous women as well as fireside chats on self-care practices, healing from trauma and other mental health topics.

☆ MacKenzie Scott says she's given away almost $2 billion this year
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

MacKenzie Scott has donated $2 billion to charities this year, per her most recent Medium post. With a net worth of $26 billion, she's become one of the world's most generous billionaires. The 52-year-old philanthropist and former wife of Jeff Bezos has a net worth of $28 billion, according to Forbes. The funds donated by Scott this year are in addition to the $12.5 billion she's given away since signing up to the Giving Pledge. On November 14, Scott wrote a blog post on Medium outlining her most recent donations.

☆ New San Francisco clubhouse represents a milestone moment for executive women in tech
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( Jennifer Elias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Executive women platform Chief opened a new clubhouse in San Francisco this week. ‘Sense that this is a first'On the opposite coast, a counterpart executive clubhouse just opened in San Francisco and it holds great meaning beyond its four walls. Chief's San Francisco clubhouse includes a full-service bar. A month after the San Francisco Chief club's opening, women say they already see it as a milestone moment that represents more than just a new building. “It’s interesting coming full-circle and it feels long overdue.”Executive women platform Chief opened a new clubhouse in San Francisco this week.

☆ Gates Foundation pledges $7 billion for Africa as Ukraine war diverts donor cash
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation said on Thursday it was committing $7 billion to Africa over the next four years, as Bill Gates warned that the Ukraine crisis was reducing the amount of aid flowing to the continent. Humanitarian groups in Africa are grappling with the diversion of funding away towards Ukraine, and as Russia’s invasion increases goods prices globally, impacting aid operations. Drought, compounded by conflict and the COVID-19 pandemic, has pushed more than 10 million people in the region “to the very brink of a hunger crisis”, the U.S.-based Christian relief group World Vision said this week. Following a meeting with Kenyan President William Ruto, Gates said on Wednesday that the Foundation would establish a regional office in Nairobi. The Foundation in 2021 gave charitable support of $6.7 billion and last week pledged $1.4 billion to help the world’s smallholder farmers cope with climate change.

☆ Hear Melinda French Gates’ one piece of advice for women
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

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SummarySummary Companies Money to help farmers adapt to climate impactsTo share tech innovations, help women farmersAdaptation finance a key focus of COP27 talksSHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt Nov 7 (Reuters) - The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged $1.4 billion to help smallholder farmers cope with the impacts of climate change, part of efforts at global climate talks in Egypt to scale up supply of so-called adaptation finance. The world is currently not doing enough to help poorer nations withstand the effects of global warming, the United Nations said last week. The Gates Foundation's commitment, announced at the COP27 conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, will help smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia build resilience into their work practices and improve food security. "The climate crisis is causing enormous harm every day as it jeopardizes entire regions of people and economies," Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said in a statement. The foundation said its funding would go towards climate smart agriculture projects, new applications of digital technologies and other innovations, and to support women farmers.

☆ Only 5 billionaires including the founders of Zynga, FTX and 23andme have signed up to The Giving Pledge this year
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Only five have signed up for The Giving Pledge in 2022, down from 14 last year. The Giving Pledge was founded by Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates and Warren Buffett in 2010 when dozens of America's wealthiest people pledged to donate the bulk of their fortune to help solve problems in society. Jeff Bezos, ranked by Forbes as the world's second-richest person worth $171 billion, is noticeably missing from The Giving Pledge. She said in her pledge letter that giving money away has "richly rewarded" her. The Giving Pledge did not respond to Insider's request for comment.

☆ MacKenzie Scott's latest $84.5 million donation could transform Girl Scouts as you know them
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Megan Sauer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

On Tuesday, the Girl Scouts of the USA announced a $84.5 million gift from the billionaire, the biggest donation from a single benefactor in the organization's history. The funds will also "future-proof its facilities," making the Girl Scouts' buildings more climate resilient and accessible to visitors, the announcement said. Girl Scouts of the USA didn't immediately respond to CNBC Make It's request for clarification. The donation will be divided between Girl Scouts of the USA and 29 local councils selected by Scott herself, the organization said. Philanthropic contributions are increasingly important, as many people incorrectly assume the Girl Scouts raise enough money to fund itself from cookie sales alone, Garcia-Hernandez said.

☆ Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pledge $1.2 billion to eradicate polio
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 16 (Reuters) - Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation said on Sunday that it will commit $1.2 billion to support efforts to end all forms of polio globally. Polio is a highly infectious disease spread mainly through contamination by faecal matter, used to kill and paralyse thousands of children annually. Governments and foundations aim to end polio in Pakistan and Afghanistan, the last two countries where the virus continues to circulate. But our foundation remains dedicated to a polio-free future, and we're optimistic that we will see it soon," said Mark Suzman, CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which is run by Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) co-founder Bill Gates and his ex-wife Melinda French Gates. The Gates Foundation is part of the GPEI, a major project between governments and international organisations.

☆ Melinda French Gates said her foundation with ex-husband Bill Gates will continue until 20 years after both of their deaths
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Melinda French Gates says her foundation with ex-husband Bill Gates, will cease to exist 20 years after their deaths. French Gates said he spoke "before we made a decision." Bill and Melinda Gates finalized their divorce last year, but have said they will continue to run their foundation together. Speaking at the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit in Dana Point, California, French Gates rebutted remarks made by Bill Gates in late September that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation would last for just 25 more years. Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates finalized their divorce last year after a 27-year marriage.

☆ Billionaire Melinda French Gates wants to create an alternative to Silicon Valley: 'To change it would be incredibly hard'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-05 | by ( Megan Sauer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Melinda French Gates wants to shake up the tech industry, starting in Silicon Valley. "To re-create Silicon Valley or to change it would be incredibly hard," French Gates said. The idea is that a broader and more equitable range of voices in a boardroom equals more ideas, which betters technology, French Gates added. French Gates committed $1 billion of her own money to Pivotal in 2019, four years after launching the firm. French Gates has been vocally persistent about the need for more female and diverse tech leaders for years.

☆ An Elon Musk superfan made the Forbes 400 list after snapping up Tesla stock during the pandemic
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Avery Hartmans | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

An Elon Musk superfan joined the Forbes 400 list for the first time this year. Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy PolicyAn Elon Musk superfan just joined the Forbes 400 list after going all in on Tesla stock. What makes KoGuan's wealth so unusual is how he amassed it: by snapping up Tesla stock during the early days of the pandemic. In late 2020, KoGuan reportedly paid about $46 million for a Singapore penthouse owned by vacuum-cleaner tycoon James Dyson. At the start of 2020, Tesla's stock was trading at about $30 a share.

☆ From DeSantis to Trump, last week defined Republican Party in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Kurt Bardella | Kurt Bardella Is An Adviser To The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee | A Member Of The Korean Americans For Political Action Board Of Advisers. He Is A Former Spokesperson | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Ron DeSantis, using human beings as political props for a craven publicity stunt designed to stoke right-wing outrage toward migrants. Then, the current Republican Party standard-bearer found himself in even more legal hot water after the New York attorney general's lawsuit alleging Trump and his eldest children committed fraud. During climate week, Democratic Govs. The GOP has had other bad weeks in the past — and so has the Democratic Party. I left the ranks of the Republican Party because I was worried it had fundamentally lost its way.

☆ Bill Gates says he and his ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, plan to run foundation together for 25 more years
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-24 | by ( Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Bill Gates and ex-wife Melinda French Gates hope to keep their foundation running for 25 more years, at which point he'll be 91 and French Gates will be 83. Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy PolicyThe Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has been around for 25 years, and Bill Gates says that's just its halfway mark. Gates and Melinda French Gates established the philanthropic organization in 2000. In 25 years, Gates will be 91 years old, and French Gates will be 83. Alongside Warren Buffett, Gates and French Gates in 2010 created the Giving Pledge, which asks billionaires to publicly commit to give most of their wealth away to philanthropic efforts either during their lifetimes or in their wills.

☆ Bill Gates says political polarization 'may bring it all to an end' and could even lead to a civil war
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-24 | by ( Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Bill Gates is sounding the alarm on political polarization in the US. "Political polarization may bring it all to an end, we're going to have a hung election and a civil war," he told Forbes recently. Gates, who has been the target of many conspiracy theories over the years, also pointed out the dangers of misinformation. Over the years, Gates and ex-wife Melinda French Gates have donated billions to vaccine research, development, and delivery through their foundation. Anybody who's got good innovations on reducing polarization, getting the truth to be as interesting as the crazy stuff, that would be well worth investing in," Gates told Forbes.

☆ Melinda French Gates calls out 'great problem' of DC politics: 'There are too many men with seats of power still'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-17 | by ( Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Melinda French Gates is calling out the lack of comprehensive paid family medical leave in the US. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation recently found the world won't reach gender equality until at least 2108, three generations later than previously projected. "But you have to be frank: There are too many men with seats of power still on Capitol Hill in the United States." "A lot of times, we think we think we're going to get there on gender equality—that we might move the needle a little bit," French Gates told Fortune. French Gates pointed out the disparity in funding between female and male political candidates.

☆ Melinda Gates ar putea pleca de la conducerea fundației înființate împreună cu fostul ei soț, Bill Gates
▼ + stars: | 2021-07-08 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +2 min

Când și-au anunțat divorțul, în urmă cu două luni, cei doi au spus că vor rămâne amândoi copreședinți ai Fundației Bill & Melinda Gates. Dar la 7 iulie CEO-ul fundației a anunțat un plan de urgență „pentru a asigura continuitatea activității fundației”. Melinda French Gates va primi „resurse personale” de la Gates pentru propria sa activitate filantropică - resurse care ar fi „complet separate de cele ale fundației”. La scurt timp, au apărut relatări în mass-media despre presupusul comportament necorespunzător al lui Bill Gates cu angajații Microsoft în urmă cu zeci de ani. Gates extinde, de asemenea, numărul de administratori care supraveghează conducerea fundației pentru a „aduce noi perspective, a ajuta la ghidarea alocării resurselor și a direcției strategice și pentru a asigura stabilitatea și sustenabilitatea fundației”.

Persons: Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates, Bill, Melinda Gates, French Gates, Mark Suzman, Gates, Melinda, Warren Buffett Organizations: CNN, Wall Street, Microsoft

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