Amid dramatic cuts in government support for global childhood immunization efforts, the Gates Foundation said today that it will commit $1.6 billion over the next 5 years to support Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
The announcement comes a day ahead of a summit in Belgium that aims to raise at least $9 billion in funding for Gavi, which helps provide and distribute vaccines to low- and middle-income countries. Since its launch in 2000, Gavi has vaccinated more than 1.1 billion children across 78 countries, preventing nearly 19 million deaths from diseases like measles and pneumonia.
The Gates Foundation is the largest private donor to Gavi, contributing $7.7 billion to the group over the last 25 years. The commitment from the foundation is even more important now that the US government, which has been the second-leading government donor to Gavi behind the United Kingdom, plans to terminate its funding for the group. US funding for Gavi, which peaked at $300 million in 2024, has been primarily provided through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which was dismantled earlier this year by the Trump administration.
The UK government also announced a 40% cut in foreign aid in February. Gavi officials have estimated the cuts could result in 37.9 million fewer children being vaccinated.
'Hard-won progress' at risk
Foundation officials say the cuts put Gavi's "hard-won progress" in child survival and public health at risk.
"For the first time in decades, the number of kids dying around the world will likely go up this year instead of down because of massive cuts to foreign aid. That is a tragedy," Bill Gates, chair of the Gates Foundation, said in a press release. "Fully funding Gavi is the single most powerful step we can take to stop it."
The number of kids dying around the world will likely go up this year instead of down because of massive cuts to foreign aid.
The Gates Foundation and the European Union are co-hosting the pledging event in Brussels, where several world leaders are expected to announce new commitments to support Gavi's 2026 through 2030 funding cycle. Gavi has set a target of immunizing at least 500 million children and saving over 8 million lives over the cycle, with a focus on vaccinating children against malaria and HPV.
The foundation says it will also make large investments in emergency vaccine stockpiles, help secure access to vaccines for the poorest countries, and work with regional partners to build resilience in local vaccine manufacturing.
