The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is a private foundation founded by Bill and Melinda Gates. The foundation was launched in 2000 and is based in Seattle, Washington. The primary goals of the foundation are to enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty, and to expand educational opportunities and access to information technology. The foundation is one of the largest charitable organizations in the world, with an endowment of over $50 billion. The foundation has made significant contributions to global health, including the eradication of polio in India and the development of new vaccines for malaria and tuberculosis. The foundation also supports a variety of educational initiatives, including the development of new technologies for teaching and learning.