What was the name of Bill Gates’s private foundation before it merged with the Gates Learning Foundation in 2000?

Bill Gates’s private foundation before its 2000 merger was the William H. Gates Foundation.

The William H. Gates Foundation was established by Bill Gates and named for his father, William H. Gates Sr. It supported charitable work before merging with the Gates Learning Foundation in 2000. The combined organization became the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The merger created the foundation that later became one of the world’s largest philanthropic organizations. Its work has included global health, vaccination, agricultural development, education, and efforts to reduce poverty.

The name can be confused with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which is the post-merger organization, or the Gates Millennium Scholars program, which is a separate initiative. The question asks for the earlier foundation specifically, so the historically precise answer is William H. Gates Foundation.