YES! Melinda French Gates really putting some serious umph and $$ behind women's health. Between this and the launch of the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research, I'm optimistic about the tides a changing.
Founder of Pivotal. Co-founder of the Gates Foundation. Author of The Moment of Lift.
After a difficult few years of watching women’s rights rolled back in the U.S. and globally, I feel a sense of urgency about doing more to alter this trajectory. As a first step, I’m committing an additional $1 billion over the next two years to people and organizations working to support the health, wellbeing, and power of women and girls everywhere. Over the past few weeks, I’ve begun directing substantial new grants to organizations doing urgent work to advance women’s power in the U.S. For too long, resource scarcity has forced these organizations into a defensive posture while the enemies of progress play offense. I want to help even the match. I’m also trying new ways to help broaden the circle of decision makers in philanthropy and get resources where they’re most urgently needed. As part of that, I’ve offered 12 leaders I respect a $20 million fund each to distribute to charitable organizations working to improve women’s health and wellbeing anywhere in the world. And later this year, I’ll launch a $250 million global call to identify and fund community-led organizations focused on women’s mental and physical health. For decades, I’ve watched women and girls fight to get on the global agenda. It’s time women and girls set that agenda themselves.