Billionaire philanthropist Melinda French Gates is making good on her $1 billion commitment toward women’s health and empowerment causes.
The Action for Women’s Health challenge she announced last year drew to a close on Wednesday—and more than 80 nonprofits walked away with funding totaling some $250 million.
“I want to see women everywhere making decisions, controlling resources, and shaping policies and perspectives—but women can’t do well unless they can be well,” French Gates said in a statement.
The awardees each received grant funding in sums ranging from $1 million to $5 million. They are nonprofits and non-governmental organizations headquartered everywhere from Australia and the U.S. to Uganda and South Africa. They address a range of issues, including offering free mental health services for survivors of domestic violence in Washington, D.C.; training indigenous birthworkers to provide culturally appropriate care in Alaska; and combatting teen pregnancy, HIV, and sexual violence in Sub-Saharan Africa. More than 65 percent of winners are community-run organizations working within their home countries.
“We believe the best agents for change are those closest to the challenges,” Lever for Change CEO Cecilia Conrad said in a statement. Pivotal, the group of impact organizations French Gates founded in 2015, funded the initiative and Chicago-based nonprofit Lever for Change managed it. They issued an open call last year to nonprofits working to advance women’s physical and mental health globally. More than 4,000 organizations from 119 countries applied.
“These 80+ organizations have proven that when it comes to improving women’s health, progress is possible and solutions exist,” French Gates said. “We hope this funding will help them expand their lifesaving, life-changing work, scale their impact, and reach millions more women around the world.”
French Gates stepped away from her role at the Gates Foundation in June 2024 following her 2021 divorce from Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. Still, she pledged to continue her work to empower women and improve global health outcomes with the some $12.5 billion she received when leaving the foundation. Shortly before her departure, French Gates announced she would donate $1 billion over the course of two years specifically to systemic issues facing women and families. The Action for Women’s Health challenge was just one part of that pledge.
Chloe Aiello
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