Thread by @HouseLyndseyRN

1) A thread:

~ Who’s leading WHO?: A quantitative analysis of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s grants to WHO, 2000-2024 ~

• Published on: 10.28.25
• Authors: Johnathan Kennedy, Riddhi Thakrar

2)~ Abstract ~

• Introduction •
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) has been the World Health Organization’s (WHO) second biggest source of funding in recent years, contributing 9.5% of WHO’s revenues between 2010 & 2023 through voluntary contributions

It is widely assumed that BMGF’s financial power allows it to exert considerable influence over WHO

However, very little empirical research has been undertaken into the BMGF-WHO relationship

Our study investigates how the money that BMGF gives to WHO is spent

3) • Methods •
We constructed a dataset of BMGF grants to WHO for the period 2000–2024 by extracting & coding data retrieved from BMGF’s website

The dataset was analysed to examine the number & value of grants, & the diseases or health issues & activities that were funded

4) • Results •
BMGF made 640 grants worth $5.5 billion to WHO between 2000 & 2024

This is 6.4% of all BMGF’s grants by value in the period

Grants worth $4.5 billion focused on infectious diseases

This amounts to 82.6% of all BMGF contributions to WHO by value

Of these, $3.2 billion (58.9%) went to polio

$2.9 billion – 53.3% of the money BMGF disbursed to WHO – funded vaccine programmes & projects

Relatively little BMGF funding went to non-communicable diseases, strengthening health systems, & broader determinants of health, despite their importance to WHO strategy & global health more generally

5) • Conclusion •
WHO’s reliance on earmarked voluntary contributions means that global health challenges favoured by major donors’ are well funded while other issues receive insufficient funding

As one of WHO’s biggest donors, BMGF contributes to this problem by pursuing its narrow approach to global public health – one that focuses on technical solutions to infectious diseases – through WHO

6) • FULL ARTICLE •
(gh.bmj.com/content/10/10/…)

• To Support My Work •
(givesendgo.com/lyndseyhousern)

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