Gates to Donate Dividend Windfall to His Foundation

Bill Gates announced Tuesday that he will donate a projected $3.35 billion windfall from Microsoft Corp.'s one-time $3-a-share dividend to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The money, once given to the foundation, will go toward "improving equity in health, education and access to information and human services for vulnerable families," Gates said in a statement. The Seattle-based foundation recently garnered global attention for its two major grants announced at the 15th International AIDS Conference in Bangkok, including $50 million extra -- in addition to an earlier $100 million -- to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. The foundation also is a significant force behind the AIDS vaccine enterprise, which coordinates the vaccine studies of researchers worldwide.

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