An in-depth analysis with a behind-the-scenes look at Bill Gates' motivations to give 99% of his fortune to his foundation before it closes in 2045. Plus, the countries most at risk from U.S. aid cuts, and the big things to watch in Asian philanthropy.

The biggest news in the funding sector this week is undoubtedly the decision of billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates to commit 99% of his fortune to his foundation. Read our analysis on that — and our exclusive rundown of the countries that are most at risk from the recent steep cuts to U.S. aid spending.

Bill Gates will first open the floodgates and then close the doors, he announced last week. The billionaire philanthropist plans to step up his giving to $200 billion, and then shutter his eponymous foundation by 2045. To put that in perspective, it’s double the total the foundation has given thus far since the year 2000.

My colleague Anna Gawel was at the announcement event, and has penned an in-depth analysis with a behind-the-scenes look at the motivations of the onetime world’s richest man. The unusual move is a bid, according to Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman, to prove that development spending is extremely high-impact and encourage governments such as the United States that have stepped away from foreign aid to jump back in.