Billionaire philanthropist Melinda French Gates has announced a new $250 million initiative to improve women’s mental and physical health.
This effort is part of her $1 billion plan to advance women’s rights, launched through her organization, Pivotal Ventures.
The fund, called “Action for Women’s Health,” aims to address the long-standing underfunding and neglect of women’s health issues.
According to Pivotal Ventures, health disparities between men and women not only affect women’s daily lives but also have a long-term impact on their futures.
“It’s clear we need to do a better job of addressing the barriers to women’s health. The good news is that there are many organizations around the world working to tackle these issues. We want to ensure they receive the attention and funding they deserve,” the organization’s website stated. The fund invites interested organizations to apply for a share of the funding.
French Gates has long advocated for women’s reproductive rights globally. However, following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision, which allowed states to set their own abortion laws, she has increased her focus on supporting reproductive rights within the U.S.
In a previous New York Times op-ed, French Gates expressed her commitment to defending reproductive freedoms in the U.S. “For too long, a lack of money has forced organizations fighting for women’s rights into a defensive posture, while opponents of progress have been on the offensive. I want to help level the playing field,” she wrote.
In a new interview with Bloomberg, French Gates reiterated the need to protect women’s health, citing the harmful effects of overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that guaranteed abortion rights. “I would like to see the U.S. — and any country — never roll back a law related to women’s health,” she said.
French Gates, one of the world’s most prominent philanthropists, stepped down from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in June 2022. As part of her divorce from Bill Gates, she received $12.5 billion from the foundation, which she now channels into her own philanthropic efforts, focusing on advancing the rights of women and girls.
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