Melinda French Gates recently launched Action for Women’s Health, a $250 million initiative aimed at supporting organizations from around the world working to address women’s physical and mental health. The initiative is part of French Gates’ larger focus on helping women meet their basic needs, including access to reproductive healthcare, supporting their families, and empowering them in work and politics. The goal is to build a world where women have their health so they can exercise their full power.
This initiative is part of a $1 billion, two-year effort centered on women’s and family issues that French Gates announced shortly after resigning from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. She left the foundation with $12.5 billion for her own initiatives as part of her divorce agreement with Bill Gates. French Gates has recently been more vocal in her advocacy work, speaking out against the Supreme Court’s decision on abortion rights and publicly endorsing presidential candidate Kamala Harris for the first time.
Pivotal Ventures, French Gates’ independent company, is overseeing the billion-dollar initiative. They have previously shared more details on two other components of the effort: awarding $200 million to U.S. groups focused on women’s rights and issuing $20 million grants to 12 individuals globally whose work French Gates admires. The organizations interested in applying for Action for Women’s Health funds must register by December 3, and the open call will be managed by Lever for Change. The applicants will undergo multiple rounds of review before Pivotal selects the winning organizations.
The awardees will be announced by the end of next year and will receive between $1 million and $5 million. The focus of the funds is to reach organizations that have been overlooked in the past, ensuring that a diverse group of organizations working on women’s health are supported. With this initiative, French Gates hopes to make a significant impact on women’s health care and empower women to lead healthy lives and reach their full potential. French Gates’ dedication to this cause reflects her commitment to supporting women globally and advocating for their rights and well-being.
