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

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