On Nov. 23, 1999, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pledged a gift of $750 million over five years to establish the Global Fund for Children’s Vaccines (GAVI), the institution set-up to finance the Vaccine Alliance.

The goal of the program was to significantly reduce the time it takes for vaccines to reach children living in poor countries. Since 1999, additional pledges have brought the Foundation’s total commitment to GAVI to date to over $4 billion.