After 27 years of marriage, billionaire benefactors Bill and Melinda Gates, co-founders of one of the world’s biggest private charitable foundation, filed for divorce on Monday, pledging to pursue their philanthropic work together.

“After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage,” the couple wrote in a joint statement shared by the Microsoft founder.

“Over the last 27 years we have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives,” according to the release.

“We continue to share a belief in that mission and will continue our work together at the foundations, but we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives.”

With chief executive Mark Suzman, the couple runs the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, in the United States.

The foundation’s priority in developed countries is on improving health and creating resources for people to escape malnutrition and severe poverty.

In the United States, the foundation works to ensure that everyone has fair access to the services they need to succeed in school and in life, including those who have the fewest resources.

NO CHANGES TO THEIR ROLES

The pair requests the court “to dissolve our marriage” and split their communal property, corporate assets, and liabilities “as set forth in our separation contract,” but the terms of that agreement have not been made public.

Bill and Melinda Gates will remain co-chairs and trustees, according to a spokesperson for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. “No changes to their roles or the organization are planned. They will continue to work together to shape and approve foundation strategies, advocate for the foundation’s issues, and set the organization’s overall direction.”

According to its website, the Gates Foundation employs 1,602 people. The foundation has a $49.8 billion endowment and has granted $54.8 billion in payments by the end of 2019.

Warren Buffett, a billionaire businessman, is one of the most ardent donors, having contributed more than $20 billion to the foundation.

Buffett and Bill Gates have been encouraging other billionaires to contribute their fortunes to charitable works since 2010 as part of the Giving Pledge program.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has grown to be one of the most powerful and dominant players in global public health, having spent more than $50 billion over the last two decades to apply a corporate solution to tackling hunger and disease.

The Gates Foundation has backed efforts of malaria and polio eradication, infant education, and vaccination that have received widespread acclaim. Last year, the foundation committed $1.75 billion to COVID-19 aid.

The pair donated more than $36 billion to the Seattle-based foundation between 1994 and 2018.

With an approximate $124 billion fortune, Bill Gates is listed No. 4 on Forbes’ list of the world’s richest people.