The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was founded in 1997 by Bill and Melinda Gates to enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty. It is one of the largest private foundations in the world, with an endowment of $38.3 billion as of 2013. Bill Gates has donated $28 billion to the foundation as of 2013. The foundation aims to give hundreds of millions of dollars annually to programs that help the world's poor save money and improve global health.