Melinda French Gates pledges $215 million to women's health, including menopause research

Jun 4, 2026

Melinda French Gates is pledging an additional $215 million to women's health, bringing her total commitment to over $600 million in two years. The funding, directed through her organization Pivotal, targets reproductive care, mental health, and menopause research, with $10 million designated for The Menopause Society. French Gates aims to address chronic underfunding in the sector and encourage other philanthropists to invest despite political fears.

Women's health funding commitment

▪The new pledge brings her total contributions to women's health to over $600 million in the past two years.
▪The funding will focus on reproductive care, midlife and menopause health, and mental health.
▪According to the World Economic Forum, health issues that specifically affect women receive only 2% of private healthcare funds.
▪A $40 million donation will go to Co-Impact to integrate mental health support into maternal and primary care, particularly in Africa.
▪Melinda French Gates pledged an additional $215 million to improve women's health globally.

Menopause research priorities

▪A study found that less than one-third of obstetrics and gynecology residency programs provide adequate menopause training.
▪An estimated 1 in 10 women leave the workforce because of menopause symptoms.
▪A $10 million grant will go to The Menopause Society to improve care in the U.S. by training healthcare providers.
▪There are approximately 6,000 U.S. counties where patients have critically low access to menopause-competent clinicians.

Trump administration donor fears

▪French Gates stated some philanthropists are afraid to fund women's causes due to the political administration causing "chaos and fear."
▪Research into menopause treatments was already underfunded before medical research cuts made by the Trump administration.
▪She aims to signal to other donors that women's health is a viable category to back, despite political concerns.

Philanthropic independence post-divorce

▪She now directs her philanthropy and investments through Pivotal, an organization she founded in 2015.
▪Melinda French Gates left the Gates Foundation, which she co-founded with Bill Gates, in 2024.
▪French Gates has described having full control over her philanthropic decisions for the first time as "very freeing."

Billionaire giving expectations

▪French Gates believes philanthropy's role is to highlight neglected societal problems to attract other donors and government funding.
▪She stated that philanthropy can never fill the funding gaps left by government.
▪She advises new billionaires to commit to giving away at least half of their wealth.