This week, Melinda French Gates made an uncharacteristically bold announcement. She’s investing $250 million to advance women’s health research globally. This grant funding will support over 80 nonprofit organizations working to ensure women have access to essential healthcare services. The new combined process was competitive, awarding grants from $1 million up to $5 million. Any nonprofit organization based in any country could apply.
This very generous donation forms part of a larger $1 billion commitment over the next two years. The ultimate aim is to embolden women’s rights movements and propel gender equity projects forward. Lever for Change, a Chicago-based nonprofit started by John Arnold, designed a thrilling funding competition around this idea. It garnered applications from over 4,000 nonprofits in 119 countries!
A majority of the grant recipients had no previous funding history. They had never been funded like this through Melinda French Gates’ Pivotal or the Gates Foundation. The financial assistance is intended not only to enhance women’s health services but to inspire other wealthy families, particularly in countries like Brazil, to contribute more significantly to women’s health organizations.
Melinda French Gates emphasized the importance of this initiative, stating, “It will be instructive for the world to see what it looks like when organizations like this aren’t so chronically underfunded.”
Among the organizations receiving funds is Likhaan, which offers primary care services in impoverished communities and advocates for vital policy changes. Junice Melgar, executive director of Likhaan, expressed her joy at the grant, saying, “I could not contain the joy of people in the room.”
Another recipient, Mujeres Aliadas, focuses on training midwives and educating women and teens about sexual and reproductive health in Mexico. Lisel Lifshitz, executive director of Mujeres Aliadas, remarked on the significance of the funding: “Having this kind of trust-based and unrestricted funding means the world to us.”
Moreover, SAS Brasil was awarded this funding to use telemedicine and mobile clinics to deliver specialized, consistent care for patients across Brazil. The funding would go to some of the most pressing issues as well including improving access to contraception, HIV prevention, and reducing rates of maternal mortality.
This year-long application process for grants helped focus efforts on creating and maintaining initiatives to improve women’s health outcomes. More than 80 organizations were chosen for their creative and unorthodox strategies to address these urgent issues.
Cecilia Conrad, CEO of Lever for Change, highlighted the timing and relevance of this initiative. “This seems to be a topic that resonates,” she stated regarding the overwhelming response from nonprofit organizations.
Melinda French Gates allocated an additional $20 million each to 12 individuals to distribute among nonprofits of their choice. This method seeks to broaden support beyond anti-abortion initiatives to all initiatives that improve women’s health.
French Gates is dedicated to promoting gender equity in workplaces. She has committed an additional $150 million for this expressed purpose on top of her healthcare grants. This multi-faceted approach showcases her dedication to bettering the condition of women around the world.
As we near the release of our 2024 report, it’s hard to deny that tremendous progress has been made since 2000. Women today experience less maternal mortality, expanded access to contraceptives, and a reduction of HIV infections. However, challenges remain, and Melinda French Gates’ latest investment seeks to build on these advances by providing necessary resources to underfunded organizations working on the frontlines of women’s health issues.
Sabine Bolonhini from Likhaan commented on the responsibility that comes with such funding: “For us, it’s using (the funding) responsibly and being a good role model for how this money can find solutions that no one else has found yet.”
