Gates CEO: Foundation Will Stay the Course as Humanitarian Aid Shrinks

Mark Suzman, CEO of the Gates Foundation, issued his first annual letter in two years with details about how the foundation will tackle its core goals. The foundation — among the world’s largest and most influential — is not planning to drastically change its strategy even as it acknowledges a rapidly changing world.

The approach is drawing mixed reactions from philanthropy experts who have been following Gates’s plan to spend down and close in 2045. Last month the foundation announced that it would spend $9 billion in 2026, up only slightly from the year before.

In his letter published Tuesday, Suzman describes a world of greatly reduced humanitarian aid and increases in poverty and mortality rates. Under these conditions, the “arc of progress is bending backwards,” he said.

“What the world needs now is a new era of cooperation centered on saving and improving lives,” Suzman wrote. 

The Gates Foundation will address the growing turmoil by remaining steadfast in its goals to address issues such as improving maternal and child health and nutrition globally and access to education for young people in the United States, Suzman said in an interview with the Chronicle. And it will be championing the use of generative AI, which he said has the potential to dramatically alter every field the foundation works in. 

“We know there are massive shortfalls in humanitarian funding in places around the world, but our role has never been to be a gap filler,” Suzman said. “The special role of philanthropy is to try and be catalytic, to build a structure that allows for the long-term self-reliance of countries and communities. We want to be steady, predictable, and reliable funders for the full period of the foundation’s existing lifetime.”

More of the Same but Quicker

Suzman’s pragmatic approach may ultimately disappoint those who want to see the foundation take a more political position, said Rhodri Davies, director of the media platform Why Philanthropy Matters. He points out that Suzman doesn’t specifically mention the Trump administration’s abrupt closure of the U.S. Agency for International Development early last year. The government has also canceled federal contracts and grants to domestic groups focused on issues such as education, reproductive health, and climate change. 

Suzman reaffirms the foundation’s commitment to proven interventions like contraceptive health and vaccine efficacy. But his letter fails to acknowledge the deeply political nature of that stance in an environment in which vaccines and reproductive health are divisive issues, Davies said. 

His letter also doesn’t include much analysis of how international development work will need to adapt to a post-USAID world. Rather it suggests the foundation’s approach will be “do more of the same, but quicker and with added AI,” Davies said. Moreover, the foundation is advocating for the use of generative AI to achieve its goals when many of those tools are still largely untested. Davies said that it would be good to have more details about guardrails and best practices for AI given the clear enthusiasm for the technology and its current and potential risks. 

“For those who see the current moment as an opportunity for deeper change, this might be disappointing,” he said. 

An Ambitious but Measured Vision

Not everyone is as critical of Suzman’s vision.

“I thought it was both ambitious and measured at the same time,” said Amir Pasic, dean of Indiana University’s school of philanthropy, of Suzman’s letter. “Some people may be hoping for dramatic gestures at a time of rupture. But I think they’re focusing on areas where, if they double down, they can make a difference. The Gates Foundation has amassed some of the most impressive expertise and knowledge in the areas where they’ve been active. And you can’t just abandon that expertise.”

The Gates Foundation has spent years building deep relationships with policymakers and multilateral institutions that it is unlikely to jeopardize with sharp public critiques, Pasic said. In a time of such turmoil, there is no consensus among foundation leaders on the best approach to address the drastic changes the Trump administration has inflicted on their issues. Some are more outspoken, while others are growing quieter about their work, he said. Gates appears to be carefully navigating its public role as an advocate for its causes while maintaining influence among policymakers with whom it needs to collaborate, Pasic said. 

“Even though it’s measured and technocratic, I think they’ve set for themselves and partners pretty clear, doable goals, which is quite remarkable,” Pasic said. “They’ve created a clear accountability dashboard for themselves, and in 20 years people will be able to see if they got there or didn’t.” 

More Money to Come?

While remaining steadfastly focused on the foundation’s core mission, Suzman, who has led the foundation for six years, left the door open for the organization to spend more in coming years. The plan to raise the foundation’s 2026 budget to $9 billion was first announced in 2022. And that is now the floor, not the ceiling, Suzman said. 

“We don’t expect to ever go below it,” Suzman said in an interview. “If there are decent market returns in the future, then, absolutely, we will be continuing to increase our funding.”

Warren Buffett continues to give annual gifts to the foundation. The foundation plans to spend $200 billion through 2045, a commitment Suzman said is underpinned by Bill Gates’s continued giving and long-term support. The total spent could ultimately exceed $200 billion if resources allow.

Added Suzman: “We are in the lucky or difficult position that we have more opportunities than we’re able to fund, even with our resources.”

Clarification: This piece has been updated to clarify that it is the Gates Foundation’s plan to spend $200 billion by 2045 rather than a personal pledge from Bill Gates.