# Melinda Gates

> She built products at Microsoft, then built the world's largest private foundation - and after 27 years of marriage and two decades co-chairing billions in global health work, she walked away from both to steer her own $12.5 billion toward women and families.

*American philanthropist*

**Canonical URL:** https://fame.am/person/melinda-gates

## Identity
- **Profile type:** Founder ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q131524))
- **Category:** Founders
- **Country:** United States
- **Born:** 1964-08-15
- **Status:** living
- **Gender:** female

## Bio

Melinda Ann French grew up in Dallas, studied computer science and economics at Duke, and joined Microsoft in 1987 as a multimedia product developer. She began dating Bill Gates that same year and married him in 1994. From 2000 to 2024, they co-chaired the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, steering unprecedented sums toward global health, development, and education - work that earned them the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the French Legion of Honour. The marriage ended in 2021. As part of the divorce settlement, she received $12.5 billion for independent philanthropy focused on women and families, and she has since become a prominent Democratic megadonor with a focus on abortion rights, endorsing Kamala Harris in 2024. She published a memoir, The Next Day: Transition, Change and Moving Forward, in 2025. Forbes ranks her the 72nd wealthiest person on earth, worth $30.4 billion as of February 2026.

## Fame
- **Popularity score:** 76.8 / 100
- **Momentum:** 2.0 / 100  (trend: STABLE)
- **Historical depth:** 25.7 / 100
- **Attention shift:** 9.2 / 100
- **Source confidence:** 90.0 / 100
- **Profile completeness:** 90.0 / 100
- **Category rank:** #21
- **Total followers across platforms:** 92,900

## Platforms
- **X**: https://x.com/melindagates (@melindagates)
- **WEBSITE**: http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Pages/home.aspx
- **INSTAGRAM**: https://www.instagram.com/melindafrenchgates/ (@melindafrenchgates)
- **FACEBOOK**: https://www.facebook.com/melindagates (@melindagates)
- **IMDB**: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2320473/ (@nm2320473)
- **YOUTUBE**: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaxvJ1Zu4i0yEebQZHamQrg (@@melindagates, 92,900 followers)

## Topics
#Executives, #Business Professional, #Entrepreneurship, #United States, #Americas, #20th Century

## Timeline
- **2021** - Radcliffe Medal
- **2016** - Presidential Medal of Freedom
- **2014** - Chatham House Prize
- **2013** - Lasker-Bloomberg Public Service Award
- **2010** - United Nations Population Award
- **2009** - Honorary Doctorate from the University of Cambridge
- **2005** - Time Person of the Year
- **1998** - American Library Association Honorary Membership
- **1964** - Born

## Sources
- [Melinda Gates](https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melinda_Gates)
- [Melinda Gates](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melinda_Gates)
- [Melinda Gates](https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melinda_Gates)
- [Melinda Gates](https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melinda_Gates)
- [Melinda Gates](https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melinda_Gates)
- [Гейтс, Мелинда](https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%93%D0%B5%D0%B9%D1%82%D1%81%2C_%D0%9C%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B4%D0%B0)
- [メリンダ・ゲイツ](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%A1%E3%83%AA%E3%83%B3%E3%83%80%E3%83%BB%E3%82%B2%E3%82%A4%E3%83%84)
- [梅琳达·盖茨](https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%A2%85%E7%90%B3%E8%BE%BE%C2%B7%E7%9B%96%E8%8C%A8)
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q463877)
- [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melinda_Gates)
- [Pantheon 2.0](https://pantheon.world/profile/person/Melinda%20Gates)
- [মেলিন্ডা গেটস](https://bn.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A6%AE%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%A8%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%A1%E0%A6%BE_%E0%A6%97%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%9F%E0%A6%B8)
- [Melinda Gates](https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melinda_Gates)
- [مێلیندا گەیتس](https://ckb.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%85%DB%8E%D9%84%DB%8C%D9%86%D8%AF%D8%A7_%DA%AF%DB%95%DB%8C%D8%AA%D8%B3)
- [Melinda Gatesová](https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melinda_Gatesov%C3%A1)
- [Melinda Gates](https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melinda_Gates)
- [Melinda French Gates](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melinda_French_Gates)
- [Melinda Gates](https://dtp.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melinda_Gates)
- [मेलिण्डा गेट्स](https://dty.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%B2%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%A3%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A1%E0%A4%BE_%E0%A4%97%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%9F%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B8)
- [Μελίντα Γκέιτς](https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%9C%CE%B5%CE%BB%CE%AF%CE%BD%CF%84%CE%B1_%CE%93%CE%BA%CE%AD%CE%B9%CF%84%CF%82)
- [Melinda French Gates](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melinda_French_Gates)
- [Melinda French Gates](https://eo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melinda_French_Gates)
- [Melinda Gates](https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melinda_Gates)
- [Melinda Gates](https://eu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melinda_Gates)
- [ملیندا گیتس](https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%85%D9%84%DB%8C%D9%86%D8%AF%D8%A7_%DA%AF%DB%8C%D8%AA%D8%B3)
- [Melinda Gates](https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melinda_Gates)
- [Wikiquote](https://bcl.wikiquote.org/wiki/Melinda_Gates)
- [Wikiquote](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Melinda_Gates)
- [Wikiquote](https://es.wikiquote.org/wiki/Melinda_Gates)
- [Wikiquote](https://fr.wikiquote.org/wiki/Melinda_Gates)

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