Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is hellbent on wiping out Ebola. On Thursday, he made that commitment even clearer.
Allen announced he’d be quadrupling his existing efforts to help eradicate the virus that has killed nearly 5,000 people by donating $100 million total. Previously, he’d pledged $26 million to help fight the disease.
With this latest announcement, Allen becomes the philanthropist who has pledged the most in the war against Ebola. Fellow Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates previously gave $50 million through his foundation. Meanwhile, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook pledged $25 million.
“The Ebola virus is unlike any health crisis we have ever experienced and needs a response unlike anything we have ever seen,” Allen said in a statement posted to his foundation’s website.
“To effectively contain this outbreak and prevent it from becoming a global epidemic, we must pool our efforts to raise the funds, coordinate the resources and develop the creative solutions needed to combat this problem,” he added. “I am committed to doing my part in tackling this crisis.”
Allen has created the website, TackleEbola.com, to collect individual donations for the Ebola fight.
Allen’s funds are expected to help the State Department as well as the World Health Organization. He’s already contributed to a slew of organizations including the American Red Cross, UNICEF, Doctors Without Borders and the CDC Foundation.
“We thank Paul Allen and his foundation for their contribution on this crucial issue,” Andrew O’Brien, special representative for global partnerships at the State Department. “We hope that this sets a much-needed example for what will be robust and rapid private sector leadership, working in partnership with the U.S. government.”
Correction, October 24, 2014: An earlier version of this story misstated the amount of money Paul Allen will be donating. It is $100 million, not $126 million.
