Return of Private Foundation OMB No. 1545-0052 Form 990-PF or Section 4947(a)(1) Nonexempt Charitable Trust Treated as a Private Foundation Department of the Treasury 2011 Internal Revenue Service Note. The foundation may be able to use a copy of this return to satisfy state reporting requirements. For calendar year 2011 or tax year beginning , and ending Name of foundation A Employer identification number BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION 56-2618866 Number and street (or P.O. box number if mail is not delivered to street address) Room/suite B Telephone number P.O. BOX 23350 206-709-3100 City or town, state, and ZIP code C If exemption application is pending, check here~| SEATTLE, WA 98102 G Check all that apply: Initial return Initial return of a former public charityD1. Foreign organizations, check here ~~| Final return Amended return Foreign organizations meeting the 85% test, Address change Name change2. check here and attach computation ~~~~| X H Check type of organization: Section 501(c)(3) exempt private foundation E If private foundation status was terminated Section 4947(a)(1) nonexempt charitable trust Other taxable private foundationunder section 507(b)(1)(A), check here ~ | X IJFair market value of all assets at end of year Accounting method: Cash Accrual F If the foundation is in a 60-month termination (from Part II, col. (c), line 16) Other (specify) under section 507(b)(1)(B), check here ~| | $ 34,640,122,664. (Part I, column (d) must be on cash basis.) Part I Analysis of Revenue and Expenses (a) Revenue and (b) Net investment (c) Adjusted net (d) Disbursements (The total of amounts in columns (b), (c), and (d) may not for charitable purposes necessarily equal the amounts in column (a).) expenses per books income income (cash basis only) 1 Contributions, gifts, grants, etc., received ~~~ 3,963,728,805. N/A 2 Check | if the foundation is not required to attach Sch. B Interest on savings and temporary 3 cash investments ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 23,386. 23,386. 4 Dividends and interest from securities~~~~~ 5a Gross rents ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 233,138. 233,138. STATEMENT1 b Net rental income or (loss) -58,833. STATEMENT2 6a Net gain or (loss) from sale of assets not on line 10 ~~ Gross sales price for all b assets on line 6a ~~ 7 Capital gain net income (from Part IV, line 2) ~~~~~ 0. Revenue 8 Net short-term capital gain ~~~~~~~~~ 9 Income modifications~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gross sales less returns 10a and allowances ~~~~ b Less: Cost of goods sold ~ c Gross profit or (loss) ~~~~~~~~~~~~ 11 Other income ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -4,706,707. 929,678. STATEMENT3 12 Total. Add lines 1 through 11 3,959,278,622. 1,186,202. 13 Compensation of officers, directors, trustees, etc.~~~ 5,487,747. 0. 5,447,725. 14 Other employee salaries and wages~~~~~~ 121,371,507. 0. 120,486,338. 15 Pension plans, employee benefits ~~~~~~ 42,196,545. 0. 41,972,778. 16a Legal fees~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~STMT 4 2,417,029. 199,949. 2,056,927. b Accounting fees ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~STMT 5 601,818. 0. 551,079. c Other professional fees ~~~~~~~~~~~STMT 6 275,151,619. 203,609. 257,312,452. 17 Interest ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 18 Taxes~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~STMT 7 367,811. 331,950. 21,480. 19 Depreciation and depletion ~~~~~~~~~ 31,730,310. 0. 20 Occupancy ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 20,083,604. 233,138. 15,743,587. 21 Travel, conferences, and meetings ~~~~~~ 49,178,222. 0. 48,518,036. 22 Printing and publications ~~~~~~~~~~ 1,193,799. 0. 1,193,014. 23 Other expenses ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~STMT 8 33,937,698. 5,576. 34,246,470. 24 Total operating and administrative expenses. Add lines 13 through 23 ~~~~~ 583,717,709. 974,222. 527,549,886. Operating and Administrative Expenses 25 Contributions, gifts, grants paid ~~~~~~~ 4,373,582,022. 3,239,412,884. 26 Total expenses and disbursements. Add lines 24 and 25 4,957,299,731. 974,222. 3,766,962,770. 27 Subtract line 26 from line 12: a Excess of revenue over expenses and disbursements ~ -998,021,109. b Net investment income (if negative, enter -0-)~~~ 211,980. c Adjusted net income (if negative, enter -0-) N/A 123501 12-02-11 LHA For Paperwork Reduction Act Notice, see instructions. Form 990-PF (2011) FOR PUBLIC DISCLOSURE BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION 56-2618866 2 Part II Balance Sheets Attached schedules and amounts in the description column should be for end-of-year amounts only. (a) (b) (c) 1 ! % 375,686. 836,306. 836,306. 2 & + 4,807,059. 9,973,930. 9,973,930. 3 8++ +% 9 742,474. ; < + %++ 9 624,257. 742,474. 742,474. 4 +% 9 625. ; < + %++ 9 25,350. 625. 625. 5 > +% 6 ?+% + @ + @ @ 7 Other notes and loans receivable 9 ; < + %++ 9 8 H 9 + 3,183,081. 3,210,934. 3,210,934. Assets 10a H KM&M % b H + + c H + % 76,004,389. 11 Investments - land, buildings, and equipment: basis 9 STMT 10 76,004,389. 76,004,389. 76,004,389. Less: accumulated depreciation 9 12 H 13 H STMT 11 36,720,207,942. 33,778,996,347. 33,778,996,347. 14 ;@% @ <% 9 692,807,853. STMT 12 52,116,576. 587,085,974. 640,691,277. 640,691,277. Less: accumulated depreciation 9 15 Q + %9 STATEMENT13 37,836,720. 129,666,382. 129,666,382. 16 Total assets %+ % 37,430,150,458. 34,640,122,664. 34,640,122,664. 17 8++ %++ 101,917,454. 99,336,899. 18 > % 4,553,260,381. 5,705,045,846. 19 V 20 Loans from officers, directors, trustees, and other disqualified persons 21 % Liabilities 22 Q % + % 9 23 Total liabilities W 4,655,177,835. 5,804,382,745. Foundations that follow SFAS 117, check here 9X and complete lines 24 through 26 and lines 30 and 31. 24 K + 32,774,972,623. 28,835,739,919. 25 X + 26 + Foundations that do not follow SFAS 117, check here 9 and complete lines 27 through 31. 27 ! +@ + @ + 28 + @ @%M@ 29 ? @+++ @ @ 30 Total net assets or fund balances 32,774,972,623. 28,835,739,919. Net Assets or Fund Balances Fund or Assets Net 31 Total liabilities and net assets/fund balances 37,430,150,458. 34,640,122,664. Part III Analysis of Changes in Net Assets or Fund Balances 1 X %+ % HH@+ @Y [ 1 32,774,972,623. 2 H@ W 2 -998,021,109. 3 Q + + 9 3 0. 4 8 @ @Y 4 31,776,951,514. 5 V+ + 9 SEE STATEMENT 9 5 2,941,211,595. 6 X %+ ] ^ HH@+ %@Y 6 28,835,739,919. 990-PF 123511 12-02-11 FOR PUBLIC DISCLOSURE Form 990-PF (2011) BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION 56-2618866 Page 3 Part IV Capital Gains and Losses for Tax on Investment Income (a) List and describe the kind(s) of property sold (e.g., real estate, (b) How acquired (c) Date acquired (d) Date sold P - Purchase 2-story brick warehouse; or common stock, 200 shs. MLC Co.) D - Donation (mo., day, yr.) (mo., day, yr.) 1a b NONE c d e (e) Gross sales price (f) Depreciation allowed (g) Cost or other basis (h) Gain or (loss) (or allowable) plus expense of sale (e) plus (f) minus (g) a b c d e Complete only for assets showing gain in column (h) and owned by the foundation on 12/31/69 (l) Gains (Col. (h) gain minus (j) Adjusted basis (k) Excess of col. (i) col. (k), but not less than -0-) or Losses (from col. (h)) (i) F.M.V. as of 12/31/69 as of 12/31/69 over col. (j), if any a b c d e rIf gain, also enter in Part I, line 7 p 2 Capital gain net income or (net capital loss)sqIf (loss), enter -0- in Part I, line 7 ~~~~~~ om 2 3 Net short-term capital gain or (loss) as defined in sections 1222(5) and (6): If gain, also enter in Part I, line 8, column (c). mp If (loss), enter -0- in Part I, line 8 o 3 Part V Qualification Under Section 4940(e) for Reduced Tax on Net Investment Income (For optional use by domestic private foundations subject to the section 4940(a) tax on net investment income.) If section 4940(d)(2) applies, leave this part blank. Was the foundation liable for the section 4942 tax on the distributable amount of any year in the base period? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ YesX No If "Yes," the foundation does not qualify under section 4940(e). Do not complete this part. 1 Enter the appropriate amount in each column for each year; see instructions before making any entries. (a) (b) (c) (d) Base period years Distribution ratio Calendar year (or tax year beginning in) Adjusted qualifying distributions Net value of noncharitable-use assets (col. (b) divided by col. (c)) 2010 3,196,164,408. 81,809,328. 39.068459 2009 3,652,951,115. 82,741,595. 44.148909 2008 3,308,451,241. 80,042,023. 41.333928 2007 2,320,072,336. 29,210,354. 79.426368 2006 79,842,613. 13,062,148. 6.112518 2 Total of line 1, column (d)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2 210.090182 3 Average distribution ratio for the 5-year base period - divide the total on line 2 by 5, or by the number of years the foundation has been in existence if less than 5 years~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3 42.018036 4 Enter the net value of noncharitable-use assets for 2011 from Part X, line 5 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 4 82,505,830. 5 Multiply line 4 by line 3 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 5 3,466,732,935. 6 Enter 1% of net investment income (1% of Part I, line 27b) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 6 2,120.