Bill Gates is giving away his £150bn fortune – and we think we know how to spend it

Bill Gates is planning to give away $200 billion (£150bn) by 2045. Taking a swipe at Elon Musk for “killing the world’s poorest children” with cuts to American foreign aid, the Microsoft founder announced he will be giving away 99% of his fortune in the space of the next two decades.

This amounts to nearly the £180bn spent globally on foreign aid in a single year, but comes against a backdrop of countries beyond the US slashing their aid spending. Experts have warned that the very idea of foreign aid could be at breaking point.

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Yet the idea of a big, billionaire-backed private organisation taking up the mantle from democratic governments has come under fire, with the Gates Foundation criticised for a lack of accountability and for wielding outsized power.

The foundation has already given away £75bn, with work on AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and more. But spending £150bn within 19 years means really getting through it. We’ve got some ideas for how to do that – and how to have some fun in the process.

Sort out the US trade surplus and hope the tariffs go away

Donald Trump’s tariffs have caused havoc in the global economy. Meanwhile, the US trade deficit rose to $140.5bn (£105.8bn) in May 2025. Bill, why not use the money to make this go away for a year and see if the tariffs give way to some other distraction?

Nationalise our water companies – or begin sorting out the water mess

Average water bills in the could hit £2,000 a year by 2050, regulator Ofwat has warned.

The country’s privatised firms have come under fire for leaving waterways full of sewage, and Ofwat has now anticipated £400bn of investment is needed to clean things up, and build new reservoirs to avoid future droughts. 

While nationalising the companies would cost £99bn, Bill Gates could use his kitty to kickstart that investment. But the fact he wouldn’t even get halfway there shows the state of the mess we’re in.

Double global cancer research for 18 years

Every year, an average of £4.15bn is spent on cancer research. With £150bn to spend, Gates could double the money spent on finding cures and treatments for 18 years – or almost until his 2045 deadline.

Fund the NHS for not quite a year

The NHS is really expensive. Its 2024/25 budget was a total of £176.9bn. This is, the eager reader will notice, more than Gates’ entire giveaway. With his money, instead of solving some of the world’s most pressing problems over the course of two decades, Gates could simply fund the NHS for 311 days. Puts it into perspective, doesn’t it?

Get us, maybe, halfway to Mars

Elon Musk really wants humans to get to Mars. All life on Earth will, eventually, be destroyed by the sun, Musk explained. At Big Issue, we champion the idea of prevention – fixing a problem before it takes hold. When it comes to poverty, stopping somebody falling into homelessness and destitution saves money on everything from emergency accommodation to healthcare. We can only assume this is the spirit in which Musk thinks of Mars.

One 2016 estimate put the cost of a human mission to Mars at £375bn. If he wanted to really steal Elon’s thunder, Bill Gates could get us halfway there. 

Bring back free lunches at Manchester United

Being a billionaire isn’t easy. Sometimes you get to cure a horrific disease, sometimes you have to sack dinner ladies. Shortly after gaining power at Manchester United, part-owner Jim Ratcliffe embarked on a round of cost-cutting.

This includes a £1m saving from ending free lunches for staff. Non-playing staff at the club’s training ground will be offered soup and bread. Staff at Old Trafford will be offered free fruit instead of lunch.

Gates’ bonanza could reverse this 150,000 times over. Wouldn’t want somebody negotiating for a Brazilian winger while they’re hangry, would we?

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