Philanthropist Melinda French Gates announced today that she will add a new $215 million gift to her existing efforts to improve women’s health worldwide.
The funding lifts her total women‑health contributions to more than $600 million in just two years, a visit to the Pivotal site reveals. “Women’s health is the cornerstone of the work I do,” French Gates told Associated Press in a recent interview.
Her latest commitment focuses on three urgent areas: contraceptive access, maternal and neonatal care, and comprehensive menopause research. An earmarked $40 million will go to Co‑Impact for mental‑health support embedded in maternal and primary care, primarily in African communities. A $10 million donation will flow to the Menopause Society to educate clinicians and expand outreach to underserved U.S. regions.
“The role of philanthropy is to shine a light on the problems that have been left behind,” French Gates said. “I hope that the buzz from this gift will attract other donors and ultimately push governments to step in.” She added that women shouldn’t be forced to “deal with pain and suffering” as if it were a default normalised experience.
Doctor Dr. Stephanie Faubion, medical director of the Menopause Society and director of the Mayo Clinic’s Center for Women’s Health, explained that roughly 6,000 U.S. counties lack access to menopause‑competent clinicians. With the new gift, the Society will broaden its educational resources to meet that gap.
Faubion also noted that menopause research had long been under‑funded and that recent cuts to NIH funding under the Trump administration only worsened the situation. “Philanthropy will fill a greater role than it ever has before,” she said.
French Gates sees visibility as critical. “We need to make women’s health issues visible and real,” she said. “When a founder of a global foundation announces a $210 million gift, it sends a signal that the problem matters enough to merit attention.”
Her latest push follows her departure from the Gates Foundation in 2024, after which she has focused her philanthropy through Pivotal Ventures.
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