Rotary and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation renewed their longstanding partnership to end polio, announcing a joint commitment of up to $450 million to support the global polio eradication effort on October 18, 2022.
Time line for Rotary End Polio and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Partmentship:
- 2002-2003: Rotary launches the Polio Eradication Fundraising Campaign with a fundraising target of $80 million. The campaign, netting $135 million, eclipses Rotary’s goal. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation contributes $1 million when it honors Rotary with its Gates Award for Global Health, its first gift to Rotary’s efforts to end polio.
- 2007 :The Gates Foundation announces its first major grant to polio eradication – a $100 million challenge to Rotary, promising to match funds raised by Rotarians.
- 2011: Bill Gates speaks at the Rotary International Convention in New Orleans.
- 2012: Rotary raises $228.7 million, surpassing the original goal of $200 million. In the same year, Jeff Raikes, then-CEO of the Gates Foundation, announces an additional $50 million contribution to polio eradication efforts at Rotary’s International Assembly.
- 2013: An announcement at the Rotary International Convention in Lisbon sets the stage for a new extension of the partnership between Rotary and the Gates Foundation. The Gates Foundation agrees to match 2-to-1 every dollar committed by Rotary, up to $35 million per year, through 2018. Throughout the campaign, Rotary exceeds its annual fundraising goal.
- 2017: On the heels of the success of the 2-to-1 matching grant, Rotary and the Gates Foundation announce an increased combined pledge of up to $450 million at the Rotary International Convention in Atlanta. Rotary’s new goal is to contribute $50 million per year over three years. With a 2-to-1 match, the Gates Foundation’s contribution will increase to $300 million if Rotary reaches its fundraising target.
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