$1 billion allocated to support her philanthropy of advancing women and family causes
Melinda French Gates announced she is going her own way, stepping down from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation she and her husband founded almost 25 years ago. In a guest essay published in the New York Times on May 28th, titled “The Enemies of Progress Play Offense. I Want to Help Even the Match”, she previewed the next stage of her philanthropy, working to advance women’s power in the U.S. and around the world.
“As I’ve said many times before, women need to be in a position to make decisions, control resources, and shape policies and perspectives, and I want to accelerate progress toward that vision,” French Gates states. “I’ve already begun directing substantial, unrestricted grants to a wide range of organizations doing critical work to support women and girls in the United States.”
In a more innovative approach to advancing women’s causes, she also designated a total of $240 million to create $20 million in grant-making funds for each of 12 chosen global leaders for independent distribution:
Dr. Alfiee Breland-Noble, a pioneering psychologist, scientist, author, founder, and expert devoted to mental health and suicide prevention in intersectional youth and young adults of color, including LGBTQ+ youth and those with disabilities,
Allyson Felix, founder of the women’s specific footwear company Saysh and highly decorated Olympic athlete who is an advocate for Black maternal health, pay equity, and pregnancy protections,
Ava DuVernay, an award-winning filmmaker whose work advances equity and social justice by telling stories that change hearts and minds,
Crystal Echo Hawk, a leader and advocate working to advance contemporary stories of Native Americans to shift public perception and increase support for Native peoples and issues,
Gary Barker, a promotor of gender equality seeking a world free from violence by engaging men and boys in partnership with women, girls, and individuals of all gender identities,
Hauwa Ojeifo, founder of a movement that gives mental health a voice in Nigeria, so those with mental health conditions can tell their stories and co-create solutions. She founded She Writes Woman,
Jacinda Ardern, the former prime minister of New Zealand who led with compassion and achieved impact. She is an advocate for climate action and a fierce champion for women,
Leymah Roberta Gbowee, 2011 Nobel Peace Laureate and Liberian peace activist, trained social worker, and women’s rights advocate. She is the founder of the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa,
M. V. Lee Badgett, an economist focusing on economic and social inequality for LGBTI people. She is a founding partner of Koppa: The LGBTI+ Economic Power Lab,
Richard V. Reeves, a scholar working toward gender equality for all by raising awareness of the problems faced by boys and men today. He is the founding president of the American Institute for Boys and Men, and
Sabrina Habib, works to improve access to quality, affordable early childhood care in East Africa’s low-income communities. She is co-founder and CEO of Kidogo, and
Shabana Basij-Rasikh, dedicated her life to ensuring Afghan girls’ access to education.
While these global leaders are making decisions on how to dedicate their newly received funds, French Gates is planning to award $250 million later this year. She is setting up an open call for proposals from organizations working to improve the mental and physical health of women and girls worldwide at the community level.
In her NY Times essay, French Gates presents her underlying thesis for advancing women’s causes in such a direct and profound way. She advances that research and analysis have shown that “investing in women and girls benefits everyone”.
She notes that full participation of women results in further economic growth, women’s political participation decreases corruption, and peace agreements written with the involvement of women are more durable. Overall improvement in women’s health could add as much as $1 trillion to the global economy by 2040.
French Gates is executing her vision through Pivotal which she established in 2015 to fund and advance social progress through venture capital investments, philanthropic grantmaking, advocacy funding, and partnerships. In addition, she has Pivotal Philanthropies Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization launched in 2022 that brings a more flexible approach to philanthropic grantmaking to drive impact.
To say the least, it will be an exciting year ahead for French Gates, the 12 global leaders and the organizations around the world that are receiving funding to aid their causes.
