Melinda French Gates is funding a women’s health revolution.
What’s happening: The philanthropist and businesswoman pledged $215M to advance reproductive and midlife health.
Female-funded. Since stepping down from The Gates Foundation in 2024, French Gates has turned her attention to investment platform Pivotal, combining funding, philanthropy, and advocacy to support women across life stages.
Pouring $600M+ into the category over the past two years, French Gates’ latest round of funding supports Co-Impact, an organization adding mental health services to maternal and primary care, as well as the Menopause Society for midlife care.
Pivotal moment. At an inflection point, women’s health is discussed more than ever but still accounts for just 6% of private investment.
Identifying white spaces, French Gates told NYT she hopes to advance research, training gaps, insurance coverage, and public education.
Optimistic, she highlighted recent women’s health care wins, including company-sanctioned menopause benefits, new guidelines for hormone replacement therapy, and added workplace protection and insurance coverage.
Punchline: Melinda French Gates is behind the cause, adding funding where it matters and catapulting women’s health into a new era.
