Videos from Reuters Melinda Gates’ charity could close in two years. Their high-profile marriage, like their groundbreaking partnership in global philanthropy, may be coming to an end. Bill and Melinda Gates will continue to serve as co-chairs of the Gates Foundation for the next two years, but she will stand down after that if their arrangement does not work out. It’s a contingency plan geared at assuring a smooth transition for the foundation, which has spent more than $50 billion fighting poverty and disease over the last two decades. It would also assure that Melinda receives personal resources from Bill for her own philanthropic activities, which would be distinct from the foundation’s endowment, according to a blog post from the organization. Bill would subsequently take complete control of the Gates Foundation, which the couple had referred to as their “fourth kid” on several occasions. The Gates Foundation, which was founded in 2000, has grown to become one of the most powerful and influential entities in global public health. It spent almost $1.7 billion last year to fight the health crisis. Warren Buffett, the billionaire investor who founded Berkshire Hathaway, announced in June that he was retiring as a trustee of the Gates Foundation and that he had donated half of his income to philanthropy after vowing 15 years ago to give away his fortune from operating Berkshire Hathaway. After 27 years of marriage, Bill and Melinda Gates filed for divorce in May, but promised to continue their charity work together. To that aim, the two pledged another $15 billion to the Gates Foundation on Wednesday, making it their single greatest gift since 2000./n
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