We have to constantly ask ourselves, 'what do we do well, and how do we stay focused on this?'
Charitable news: Philanthropist Melinda French Gates is intensifying her focus on women’s health with a $250 million global initiative aimed at improving mental and physical health for women around the world. Her organization, Pivotal Ventures, last week launched the "Action for Women’s Health" open call, which will support at least 100 organizations with flexible grants ranging from $1 million to $5 million. The initiative invites nonprofits with a proven track record in advancing women’s health to apply, marking a shift in Gates' philanthropic strategy to address global health disparities affecting women.
Aligning global stakeholders: The new effort comes as part of Gates' broader $1 billion commitment to supporting women and families. It also reflects a growing recognition that women’s health is foundational to gender equity. "The second the global agenda gets crowded, women and girls fall off," Gates wrote in a New York Times op-ed in May. "It’s frustrating and shortsighted. Decades of research on economics, well-being, and governance make it clear that investing in women and girls benefits everyone. We know that economies with women’s full participation have more room to grow. That reducing the time women spend in poor health could add as much as $1 trillion to the global economy by 2040."
The timing is right: According to the 2024 Women & Girls Index, charitable giving to these organizations remains disproportionately small despite rising awareness of gender equity issues. In 2021, women’s and girls’ organizations received $10.2 billion in donations, representing only 1.9% of total charitable giving in the U.S. This figure, while surpassing $10 billion for the first time, reflects a persistent funding gap for organizations addressing issues like reproductive rights, education, and economic empowerment for women.
Industry insights: The lack of funding for women’s health organizations remains a critical issue in the philanthropic landscape, even as new efforts like Gates’ initiative take shape. Alison Holder, executive director of Equal Measures 2030 (EM2030), a coalition of leaders from feminist networks, civil society and international development across the globe, highlights the disconnect between the scope of the challenge and the resources available: "Given that 40% of countries are stagnating or declining on progress towards gender equality... 2% of charitable giving for women and girls is grossly little," Holder told us in an email. "Our approach to standing out and securing support is not to have a scarcity mindset – that creates competition and a race to the bottom. We live in a world of abundance and we need to advocate for more resources to fuel the work of women’s rights movements." In the short term, EM2030 aims to navigate this challenge by focusing on the unique contributions it can bring to the larger ecosystem of organizations supporting women and girls, Holder adds. "We have to constantly ask ourselves, 'what do we do well, and how do we stay focused on this?'"
What’s next: French Gates has long been influential in business and policy, particularly through her strong support for women’s rights. The Bill Gates foundation, which she co-founded with her ex-husband, has become a powerful player in global health and philanthropy, contributing nearly $8 billion in donations last year. As her new initiative moves forward, it could serve as a model for future philanthropic efforts aimed at closing the funding gap for women’s health and equity initiatives, setting the stage for broader changes in how charitable giving is allocated.
