Melinda French Gates Pledges $250M To Address Women's Biggest Needs: 'Need To Do A Better Job'

Philanthropist Melinda French Gates announced a new $250 million fund to improve women's health, shedding light on her top priority after stepping down from chairing the Gates Foundation.

What Happened: French Gates announced earlier this year that she would continue philanthropic efforts with a focus on women's health after leaving the Gates Foundation.

The philanthropist, who co-founded the Gates Foundation with ex-husband Bill Gates, said earlier this year she would be starting her new efforts with $12.5 billion commitment as part of a broader agreement.

More details have emerged on French Gates’ plan to help improve women's health and tear down barriers for companies in the space.

"Action for Women's Health" was launched earlier this week, a new fund from French Gates Pivotal Ventures, as reported by CNN.

"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 so many organizations around the world doing just that. We want to ensure they get the attention and funding they deserve," the webpage for the fund says.

French Gates' new effort is launching with $250 million to target women's mental and physical health.

"For far too long, women's health has been underfunded, overlooked, and misunderstood. There's so much we don't know about women's mental and physical health, but the data we do have shows that women are being neglected," the website adds.

Organizations can apply for funding from the new fund. The registration to apply deadline is Dec. 3, 2024, and the official application deadline is Jan. 10, 2025. Eligible organizations need to target women's health and have a record of improving mental or physical health.

Read Also: 5 Things You Might Not Know About Melinda French Gates

Why It's Important: Women's health continues to be a passion French Gates cares deeply about. The philanthropist has been outspoken in supporting Democratic candidates in the 2024 election that supports reproductive rights.

French Gates endorsed Kamala Harris for president in the 2024 election, after previously supporting Joe Biden before he dropped out of the race.

The ex-wife of the Microsoft co-founder is one of the wealthiest women in the world and has been one of the most notable philanthropists in recent years, dedicating time and money to sectors she is passionate about.

Read Next:

• Melinda Gates Reveals ‘Substantial’ Donations To Kamala Harris-Tim Walz Campaign, Says Her Billionaire Status Is Still ‘Surreal:’ ‘We Are Like-Minded On Many Issues’

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