Her Generosity Is Reaching the Whole World!

At least 100 nonprofit organizations supporting women’s health will share $250 million in unrestricted funding thanks to American philanthropist Melinda French Gates who is expanding her generosity worldwide.

“By focusing on women’s health, she’s expanded her definition of women’s power to include a precondition that women must have their health to be powerful,” explains Haven Ley, chief strategy officer at Pivotal Ventures, French Gates’ organization.

The Action for Women’s Health grant competition – run by Lever for Change, a nonprofit affiliate of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation – is part of a two-year $1 billion commitment the former co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation made in May to support women’s health around the world. Through an open call process, at least 100 nonprofit organizations will receive between $1 million and $5 million. The deadline to register is December 3, 2024, and the review process – peer review by other applicants and an outside review by a panel of experts – will stretch to the end of 2025. As part of the $1 billion commitment, French Gates is granting $200 million to groups working in the United States to protect women’s rights, giving 12 individuals $20 million each to donate however they choose, and sharing $250 million through an open call for women’s rights around the world. “I hope to lift up groups with personal connections to the issues they work on. People on the front lines should get the attention and investment they deserve, including from me,” states Melinda French Gates.