While some billionaires would rather avoid the spotlight, Bill Gates is cut from a different cloth. He is best known as the co-founder and former CEO of Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), which he ran for a quarter of a century, but has cemented his place in history for his philanthropic and charitable work.
Gates is currently worth $131 billion (as of this writing), making him the world’s ninth richest person, according to Forbes. However, in a pact made with Warren Buffett, Gates signed The Giving Pledge and says he eventually plans to give away “virtually all” of his wealth to charitable causes.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (soon to be The Gates Foundation) is the vehicle created to support those charitable ventures. Its stated goal is “to create a world where every person has the opportunity to live a healthy, productive life.”
To that end, the foundation has paid out nearly $54…
