Bill Gates Foundation supports Intelligent Design?

The New York Times is running a series on the Evolution/Intelligent Design 'debate'. Quite interesting. I was startled to see this in the article, though: Referring to the Discovery Institute, one of the main think tanks pushing the ID agenda, the New York Times says:

"A closer look shows a multidimensional organization, financed by missionary and mainstream groups - the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation provides $1 million a year, including $50,000 of Mr. Chapman's $141,000 annual salary - and asserting itself on questions on issues as varied as local transportation and foreign affairs." (from "Politicized Scholars Put Evolution on the Defensive", New York Times)

The New York Times series is just beginning (2 articles so far) and seems to be a good survey of the issue.