NEW YORK, US – In a powerful move following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision, Melinda French Gates has announced a $1 billion commitment to support women’s rights, including $200 million specifically for reproductive freedoms in the United States.
This decision marks a significant shift in her philanthropic focus, previously concentrated on improving contraceptive access overseas.
“While I have long focused on improving contraceptive access overseas, in the post-Dobbs era, I now feel compelled to support reproductive rights here at home,” French Gates said in an op-ed Tuesday in the New York Times. “For too long, a lack of money has forced organizations fighting for women’s rights into a defensive posture while the enemies of progress play offense. I want to help even the match.”
French Gates, one of the world’s wealthiest and most influential philanthropists, recently resigned from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Her last day at the organization was June 7, and as part of her divorce settlement, she received $12.5 billion for her contributions to the foundation.
She had hinted at focusing her future efforts on women and girls but had not provided specifics until now.
On Tuesday, June 4, she outlined her new philanthropic strategy, which will be executed through her organization, Pivotal Ventures.
In addition to the $200 million for reproductive rights, the $1 billion commitment includes $250 million for improving women’s mental and physical health and $240 million to be distributed by 12 advocates and leaders in women’s health, each receiving $20 million to fund groups they deem essential.
Among the first recipients of this new funding is The 19th, a nonprofit news organization that focuses on gender policy.
Co-founder and CEO Emily Ramshaw expressed her excitement on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Pinch me. Sometimes dreams do come true,” she wrote in a blog post. “This support will bolster our critical politics and policy coverage in a seismic election year, allow us to make strategic investments in our audiences and our future, and lay the foundation for our long-term sustainability in a turbulent time for our industry.”
Another beneficiary, The Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR), will use its grant to advance its work on women’s health and narrowing the gender pay gap.
“We are deeply honored to receive this support from Melinda French Gates, a true pioneer for women’s empowerment,” said IWPR President and CEO Dr. Jamila Taylor in a statement.
French Gates’ innovative approach includes granting $240 million to 12 influential leaders worldwide, allowing them to allocate funds to groups performing urgent and meaningful work in women’s health.
This method echoes the philanthropic strategy of MacKenzie Scott, who has been noted for her rapid and unrestricted funding model.
“I’m also experimenting with novel tactics to bring a wider range of perspectives into philanthropy,” French Gates wrote in her op-ed. “I’m eager to see the landscape of funding opportunities through their eyes, and the results their approaches unlock.”
The group of leaders chosen to distribute these funds includes former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, maternal health advocate Allyson Felix, and Afghan women’s education activist Shabana Basij-Rasikh.
In her op-ed, French Gates revealed that her decision to leave the Gates Foundation was driven by a desire to set her own agenda before it was set by others.
She criticized the naysayers of charitable efforts to empower women, highlighting America’s high maternal mortality rate and the lack of national paid family leave.
French Gates pointed out that only 2pc of U.S. donations go to organizations focused on women and girls, yet investments in women’s health have significant potential to boost the global economy.
“Because I have been given this extraordinary opportunity, I am determined to do everything I can to seize it and to set an agenda that helps other women and girls set theirs, too,” she concluded.
