Melinda French Gates has resigned from her role as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to commit fully to her work on behalf of women and families.

Melinda will be leaving the Foundation with an additional $12.5 billion for her philanthropy. Her resignation will take effect from June 7th.*

“After careful thought and reflection, I have decided to resign from my role as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. My last day of work at the foundation will be June 7th.”

“This is a critical moment for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world—and those fighting to protect and advance equality are in urgent need of support.

Under the terms of my agreement with Bill, in leaving the foundation, I will have an additional $12.5 billion to commit to my work on behalf of women and families. I’ll be sharing more about what that will look like in the near future.”