publication_category: Health Diplomacy

Applied Psychology Around the World, Vol. 7, Issue 3, December 2025

Philanthropic foundations have emerged as significant non-state actors in global governance. Their financial strength, intellectual resources, and convening capacity grant them a unique influence over international policy agendas. Large foundations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Welcome Trust, and the Rockefeller Foundation have gone beyond traditional charitable giving; they now shape priorities in health, education, and climate change at both national and global levels (McGoey, 2015). Unlike corporations, foundations are not primarily motivated by profit, and unlike governments, they are not bound by electoral cycles. This positioning enables them to act with agility, direct resources toward high-risk innovations, and sustain long-term initiatives. Yet, the very features that empower foundations also present dilemmas. Their influence is often asymmetrical compared with state actors, especially in low- and middle-income countries. The objective of this study and its consequent report was to trace the influence of the inclusion of private finance in the global health development context through its involvement in current public private partnerships throughout the 21st century. It highlights the impact of private financing, mainly through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, on the subsequent goals and indicators of the partnerships it funds, as well as the ability of those goals to address global health goals set by the MDGs and monitored by the WHO.

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