NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation — the world’s largest private foundation — will spend $776 million over the next six years to fight malnutrition, a strong signal of support for a historically underfunded sector, according to the foundation’s leaders.

Co-chair Melinda Gates announced the new pledge — and its accompanying new program strategy — Wednesday at the European Development Days, the European Commission’s development forum held annually in Brussels, Belgium. In her remarks, Gates highlighted nutrition’s chronic underrepresentation in global development budgets and called on other donors to step up their own commitments.

“I know of no other problem in the world that does so much damage yet receives so little attention,” Gates said.