Gates Foundation gives $540 million to UW health institute, the largest gift in university history
The Gates Foundation is giving $540.2 million to the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), marking the largest charitable gift in UW history. The funding will support the Seattle-based institute over 10 years and expand its Global Burden of Disease study from about 925 locations to nearly 5,000.
The grant will also support IHME’s health forecasting and its work tracking health spending around the world. Dr. Christopher Murray, IHME’s director and a UW professor, said the funding “will allow us to provide high-quality evidence at a much more local level,” and help leaders better understand where health is improving or worsening and which decisions can have the greatest impact.
The historic gift builds on nearly two decades of support from the Gates Foundation for IHME and provides significant funding for global health research at one of Washington state’s leading research institutions.