[14] Gates served on the boards of numerous organizations in the Pacific Northwest, including the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce,[15] King County United Way and Planned Parenthood.

He served as a director for the bulk retail corporation Costco Wholesale from 2003, and was a founding co-chair of the Pacific Health Summit.

[15] The project works to lead a global, multidisciplinary effort to strengthen the Rule of Law for the development of communities of opportunity and equity.

[20] Gates co-authored the book Wealth and Our Commonwealth: Why America Should Tax Accumulated Fortunes with Chuck Collins.

[24][25] He died on September 14, 2020, aged 94, at his beach home on Hood Canal in Washington state.

[4] In a tribute, his son said that his "wisdom, generosity, empathy, and humility had a huge influence on people around the world.

"[26][27] Bill Gerberding, who was UW president from 1979 to 1995, described Gates as "a good man with a big heart [and] generous public spirit", while former Seattle mayor Norman Rice characterized Gates' core values as "social justice and economic opportunity".