Melinda French Gates, a renowned philanthropist and former co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has announced a major grant of $250 million to support women’s health initiatives around the world. This significant pledge is part of her two-year, $1 billion commitment to support women and families globally, which she made in May. The grant will be dispensed through an open call for non-profit organizations to apply for funding, with a minimum allocation of $1 million and a maximum of $5 million per organization.
The funding will prioritize organizations that will make a significant impact with the resources received, rather than restricting it to specific groups or sizes. The application process, which will run until the end of 2025, includes a peer review by other applicants and an outside review by a panel of experts. This approach aims to ensure that the allocation is both equitable and humane.
French Gates’ organization, Pivotal Ventures, has traditionally focused on advancing women’s power in the US, but this new grant signals a shift towards global women’s health. According to Haven Ley, chief strategy officer at Pivotal Ventures, the grant represents an expansion of French Gates’ definition of women’s power to include women’s health as a precondition for empowerment.
Melinda French Gates (Image via Getty)
The grant competition is being run in partnership with Lever for Change, a non-profit affiliate of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The organization has a track record of working with high-profile philanthropists, including Melinda French Gates and MacKenzie Scott.
Experts in the field have expressed optimism about the grant, with Sarah Baird, a professor at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at The George Washington University, advising donors to work through existing institutions and focus on broader issues, such as mental health, menopause, and gender-based violence. Baird emphasized that addressing these areas will have a more significant impact on women’s health and wellbeing.
The grant is expected to have a far-reaching impact on women’s health worldwide, addressing critical issues such as mental health, menopause, and gender-based violence. With this significant investment, French Gates is sending a powerful message about the importance of women’s health and the need for greater funding and attention in this area.
