Partner and funder names

Gates Foundation

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has changed its name to the Gates Foundation. Use Gates Foundation on first mention, and then use Gates Foundation and/or the foundation (in all lowercase) on subsequent reference (not BMGF or GF).

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

If needed for clarity, place US before the name. CDC is the abbreviation.

Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

The former UK Department for International Development, or DFID, has merged with the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office to form a new office. The abbreviation is FCDO.

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance

Use Gavi or the Vaccine Alliance on subsequent reference.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

Note no serial comma. On subsequent reference, the Global Fund.

National Institutes of Health

If needed for clarity, place US before the name.

US Agency for International Development

For brevity, PATH uses the abbreviation US not United States when referring to US government agencies and departments, even at first mention. In USAID-branded documents, however, follow the agency’s preference and spell out United States.

The World Bank Group

Also known as the World Bank, even at first mention.

If it makes sense to do so, add the before the name (e.g., the project was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; we worked with the World Health Organization).

See also Abbreviations / Definite and indefinite articles before abbreviations.

If The is capitalized as part of the formal name (e.g., The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease), follow the organization’s preferred style on subsequent reference (e.g., the Global Fund, The Union).

When an organization name contains one or more commas, do not include a closing comma when the name appears in mid-sentence:

• PATH worked closely with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance to get COVID-19 vaccines to low- and middle-income countries in a timely manner.

However, if you think leaving out the closing comma may cause confusion, include it. This is a judgment call. See also Punctuation and special characters / Semicolon.

This comma treatment differs from American date format (see Numbers and measurements / Dates) and geographic location format (see Punctuation and special characters / Comma), where a closing comma is required.