Bill Gates & Melinda Gates
Gates's own foundations reported paying out $45.21 billion from 2011 to 2023. That is 39% of a $115.12 billion fortune. For a typical family, the same share would be $75,751.
What it felt like, scaled to a typical family's $192,900
Grants paid out, 2011 to 2023
Still sitting in the foundation at the last filing
Of 32 on the ranking, least generous first
“Put in” is what the foundation received, which the donor can deduct from taxes in the year it goes in. Private foundations only have to pay out about 5% of their assets a year; the rest can sit invested.
Grants paid by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Money going in includes Warren Buffett's annual gifts, so it is not shown as Gates' own. Melinda French Gates left the foundation in 2024.
Meanwhile, the homes, jets, yachts and parties we have tracked add up to $141.8 million. See what Gates spent on Rich vs Reality →
Year by year
Straight from each IRS Form 990-PF. Every year links to the filing itself.
| Year | Paid out | Held at year end | Legal minimum | Filing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $7.2 billion | $76.95 billion | $159.4 million | IRS PDF |
| 2022 | $5.91 billion | $68.91 billion | $232.2 million | IRS PDF |
| 2021 | $4.12 billion | $54.95 billion | $142.4 million | IRS PDF |
| 2020 | $3.85 billion | $51.78 billion | $103.5 million | IRS PDF |
| 2019 | $4.2 billion | $51.04 billion | $145.7 million | IRS PDF |
| 2015 | $5.52 billion | $40.41 billion | $49.7 million | IRS PDF |
| 2014 | $3.97 billion | $44.32 billion | $33.7 million | IRS PDF |
| 2013 | $3.39 billion | $41.31 billion | $33 million | IRS PDF |
| 2012 | $2.67 billion | $37.18 billion | $14.1 million | IRS PDF |
| 2011 | $4.37 billion | $34.64 billion | $44.6 million | IRS PDF |
Net worth: Forbes real-time billionaires, October 5, 2026. Typical family net worth: Federal Reserve, Survey of Consumer Finances 2022. Only what their own foundations reported is counted; gifts made directly or through donor-advised funds do not appear in these filings.