A nicely balanced article on the Gates' foundation and the impact and influence it has:

A charity with $31 billion to spend has much potential power and influence. The Foundation has the resources to eclipse what Ottawa or provincial governments contribute. With one cheque, it more than doubled the Northwest Territories' library budget last year; and it sent a cheque for two-thirds of the current central library budget of New Brunswick. After visiting Nunavut, the Gates emissaries talked about how, for a pittance (by their standards), they could carry out the government's five-year plan to wire the territory for Internet access in a matter of weeks. And with some more serious spending, say $14-million, they could boot Nunavut to the leading cusp of the 21st century, with sophisticated hookups in every town.
Fourteen million dollars -- that would represent almost 5 per cent of the total budget of the Nunavut government. It's what the Gates Foundation, by law, has to give away, every three days.