Pivotal Ventures, the independent company led by Melinda French Gates, has revealed which organizations will receive funding from a $250 million global initiative supporting women’s mental and physical health programs.
A total of 83 organizations spanning 22 nations will benefit from the Action for Women’s Health grants, with individual awards ranging from $1 million to $5 million. Notably, a significant number of these recipients have historically been overlooked by major funding sources.
In a blog post discussing the initiative, French Gates reflected on her quarter-century of experience in women’s health work, noting a troubling pattern that transcends geographic boundaries. She emphasized that women worldwide encounter distinct obstacles when seeking healthcare necessary for living full, healthy lives, regardless of their location.
French Gates illustrated these challenges with specific examples, pointing to restrictive abortion legislation that resulted in a Louisiana woman being denied emergency room care twice during a miscarriage, as well as the struggle of a Malawian pregnant woman living several hours away from delivery facilities.
The funded organizations will concentrate their efforts across several critical areas: maternal, infant, and perinatal care; community healthcare accessibility; reproductive rights and healthcare; public health initiatives; and mental health services. Approximately one-third of grant recipients focus specifically on maternal and perinatal health, while roughly 25 percent address community health concerns.
Among the Pacific Northwest organizations receiving support are Open Arms Perinatal Services, which provides doula services, lactation support, and additional family assistance, and the Seattle Indian Health Board, a healthcare facility dedicated to serving Native communities.
This funding initiative represents a component of the broader $1 billion commitment French Gates announced in May 2024, focusing on women’s and family-related causes. This announcement came shortly after her departure from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, now simply known as the Gates Foundation. Her exit from the Seattle-based philanthropic organization included a $12.5 billion allocation for her independent initiatives, part of the settlement agreement from her divorce from Bill Gates.
The billion-dollar effort is being administered through Pivotal Ventures, while Lever for Change handled the management of the open call application process.
Earlier communications from Pivotal Ventures detailed additional elements of the overall initiative, including $200 million designated for U.S.-based organizations working on women’s rights issues, and $20 million distributed among 12 individuals worldwide whose work French Gates particularly values.
The Action for Women’s Health grants represent a significant investment in addressing healthcare disparities that affect women globally. By supporting organizations that have traditionally been excluded from major funding opportunities, the initiative aims to create meaningful change in how women access and receive healthcare services.
The diversity of focus areas among the recipient organizations reflects the multifaceted nature of women’s health challenges, from pregnancy and childbirth to mental health support and reproductive rights. This comprehensive approach acknowledges that improving women’s health requires addressing various interconnected issues across different communities and cultural contexts.
Through these strategic investments, French Gates continues her long-standing commitment to advancing women’s health and wellbeing on a global scale, leveraging her resources and influence to support grassroots organizations and established institutions alike in their efforts to eliminate barriers to quality healthcare for women everywhere.