Philanthropist Melinda French Gates is doubling down on women's health, announcing a fresh $215 million commitment to expand contraceptive access, maternal care, and research into menopause. The move, unveiled Thursday, pushes her total donations for women's health past $600 million over the past two years.
French Gates, who stepped away from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2024, now channels her philanthropy through Pivotal, the umbrella organization she founded to manage her giving and investments. In an interview with the Associated Press, she framed women's health as the bedrock of her work. “It's just blaringly obvious that women's health is fundamental — she has to be well to do well in life,” she said.
The latest funding reflects a more targeted approach to what French Gates sees as chronically underfunded areas. A $40 million slice goes to Co-Impact for integrating mental health support into maternal and primary care, particularly in Africa. Another $10 million is earmarked for the Menopause Society to improve menopause care in the U.S. by training healthcare providers and expanding outreach to underserved regions.
French Gates hopes her investment will catalyze broader action. “The role of philanthropy, in my opinion, is to look at some of these societal problems that have been left behind, and shine light on them, show ways of making progress so you can then crowd in other donors and ultimately crowd in government funding,” she said. “Part of what I'm doing here, I hope, is sending a signal to say, 'This is really important. Let's do something about it.' And my hope is that I'll be able to get others who will join me.”
The need is stark. According to the World Economic Forum, women-specific health issues receive only 2% of private healthcare funding globally, despite women making up half the population. That neglect has left a void in products and services tailored to women's needs. Dr. Stephanie Faubion, medical director of the Menopause Society and director of the Mayo Clinic's Center for Women's Health, noted that the U.S. has roughly 6,000 counties with critically low access to menopause-competent clinicians. She said French Gates' donation will allow the society to bring its educational resources to more of those areas.
“Menopause remains one of the most overlooked and underserved areas in medicine, and The Menopause Society believes women deserve better,” Faubion said. “We're ready to make those changes with the support of donors like Pivotal.”
Research into menopause treatments was already strapped for cash before recent cuts to medical research by the Trump administration took effect. French Gates acknowledged the shifting landscape. “I think philanthropy is going to fill a greater role than it ever has in the past because we are just not going to have the same type of government funding that we've had before,” she said. “Funding is hard to come by these days – much, much harder than it was before. And the need hasn't gone away. We still have to do the research somehow.”
Faubion emphasized that the size of French Gates' gift matters, but the attention it draws may be even more crucial. “It shows that somebody like Melinda Gates and Pivotal feel that this is an important issue,” she said. “It will illuminate the gaps that are still there… and it makes people not only aware, but maybe motivated to take some action.”
For French Gates, visibility is nearly as important as the dollars. “I want women's health issues to not be invisible,” she said. “I don't want the default to be that women are expected to deal with pain and suffering. I want them to be seen for what they're going through, their real life experiences, and have those issues addressed so they can live their very best lives.”
The Associated Press receives financial support for its coverage of women in the workforce and statehouses from Pivotal. This article also draws on AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. For more on philanthropy, visit AP's hub.
