Why Bill Gates Has Given MILLIONS of Dollars to Tri-Cities

For years, he was the richest man in the world. Then he was bumped down to the richest man in America. Now, he's "just a billionaire." Bill Gates made his billions when he co-founded Microsoft and sought to bring personal computing to the everyman's home. Along with (now) ex-wife Melinda, Gates started the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000, and more than twenty years later, the foundation has become the second-most charitable foundation on the planet.

How much money has the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation given to Tri-Cities organizations?

I'm not sure why I was surprised that the Gates foundation donates as much money as it does to Tri-Cities since the Gates and their foundation are from Seattle. First, I'll give you the final number, and then we'll look at where it's been going.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has donated nearly $12 million to Tri-Cities in committed grants.

The foundation has donated over $10 million in grants to the Kennewick School District over the years beginning in 2000, the same year it was founded. More recently, the foundation has donated another 745,000 to United Way of Franklin & Benton Counties. In Pasco, the foundation committed $140,000 in grants to the Educational Service District 123. A $500,000 grant to Tri-Cities Prep in 2007 paved the way for the construction of their science and technology wing in 2009. These are just some of the bigger donations but the money has been steadily coming to Tri-Cities.

You may have heard of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. There's another day you might want to know about: Giving Tuesday. The idea is pretty straightforward. On the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, shoppers take a break from their gift-buying and donate what they can to charity.

-Bill Gates