The former wife of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates will no longer give most of her wealth to the Gates Foundation that she had created with her ex-husband.

Melinda French Gates, former wife of Microsoft’s Bill Gates, reportedly no longer pledges to give the bulk of her wealth to the foundation she created with her ex-husband. The move highlights how creators of big gifts in philanthropy can change course following events such as divorce or bereavement.

A report in the Wall Street Journal (February 2) said that instead French Gates plans to spread her wealth among philanthropic endeavors.

French Gates made the change official in late 2021 following her divorce from Gates. In 2010, in a joint Giving Pledge letter, the couple committed to give most of their fortune to the Gates Foundation.

“I recognize the absurdity of so much wealth being concentrated in the hands of one person, and I believe the only responsible thing to do with a fortune this size is give it away – as thoughtfully and impactfully as possible,” French Gates wrote in her new letter, the WSJ reported.

The Gates Foundation has an endowment worth more than $50 billion.