## This has changed since Gates donates to WHO The U.S. government and the Gates Foundation had each been slated to contribute about 9% of the overall WHO budget for 2021-21 in voluntary funding, according to [publicly available data](http://open.who.int/2020-21/budget-and-financing/flow), more than $400 million each for a total biennial budget of about $5.5 billion. The Gates Foundation has been a key donor to the WHO over the past decade, accounting for as much as 13% of the group's [budget for the 2016-17 period](http://open.who.int/2016-17/contributors/contributor). In February, the foundation [pledged $100 million to fight the coronavirus pandemic](https://www.gatesfoundation.org/Media-Center/Press-Releases/2020/02/Bill-and-Melinda-Gates-Foundation-Dedicates-Additional-Funding-to-the-Novel-Coronavirus-Response), and it upped that to [$250 million in April](https://www.gatesfoundation.org/Media-Center/Press-Releases/2020/04/Gates-Foundation-Expands-Commitment-to-COVID-19-Response-Calls-for-International-Collaboration) after an order from Trump brought U.S. government funding to a halt. The U.S. government has also historically paid assessed contributions, which are essentially dues for being a member-state of the organization that are scaled by income and population. In the [2020-21 budget](https://www.who.int/about/finances-accountability/funding/AC_Status_Report_2020.pdf?ua=1), assessed contributions for the U.S. account for $116 million. Voluntary contributions, unlike assessed contributions, allow donors to earmark funds for specific projects. Both the U.S. and the Gates Foundation directed significant portions of their voluntary contributions to programs focused on the global eradication of polio. Improved access to vaccines and other essential medicines is another top priority identified by the Gates Foundation, which has been a [source of rampant conspiracy theories](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/17/technology/bill-gates-virus-conspiracy-theories.html), especially recently. ![[CleanShot 2024-01-09 at 20.58.52.png]] Source: https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2020-05-29/gates-foundation-donations-to-who-nearly-match-those-from-us-government