Equity in Healthcare

Melinda French Gates continues to prove that she’s a champion for women — this time, by contributing directly to their wellbeing. The philanthropist announced this week that, through her investment company and incubator, Pivotal Ventures, she will provide a total of $250 million to organizations that work to improve the mental and physical health of women through a new initiative called “Action For Women’s Health.” For this effort, Pivotal Ventures is partnering with Levers for Change, a nonprofit that works to combat global issues like climate change, racial inequity and sexism, which will handle overall coordination of the project (though it will be Pivotal Ventures that will ultimately select awardees, who will each be granted between $1 million and $5 million). “Women’s health continues to be an afterthought, and it’s impacting the health of our families, our communities, our economies,” French Gates said in a video posted on Pivotal Ventures’ website. “Thankfully, there are so many amazing organizations around the world working to change that.” It is, indeed, a widespread problem – one with dire consequences. According to Pivotal Ventures, women spend a quarter of their lives in poor health, and millions cannot access crucial healthcare. This comes with life-or-death circumstances, with 800 million women around the world dying each day just from pregnancy and childbirth complications. And in terms of mental health, women experience higher rates of depression and anxiety than men. These disproportionate struggles affect women’s daily lives, as well as their futures, making it difficult for them to pursue the opportunities and achieve their goals. And to make matters worse, women’s health research does remain drastically underfunded, according to a 2023 study published in Nature. The World Economic Forum reported earlier this year that closing the gap in women’s healthcare globally could cost up to $1 trillion dollars. This announcement marks the continuation of French Gates’ work to support women’s health, following her pledge in May to donate $1 billion toward women and their families around the world. That round of giving went toward supporting women’s reproductive freedoms and lowering maternal mortality rates, specifically. And in 2021, her firm invested in the Female Founders Fund, to support women-founded companies. Like French Gates, other wealthy women have also been taking steps to support women’s wellbeing, from a variety of angles. Just this week, Kate Ryder, founder of virtual health clinic Maven, raised $125 million in Series F round of funding, and is now valued at $1.7 billion, Axios reported. And last month, First Lady Jill Biden announced a $500 million investment into the health of women serving in the military at the annual Clinton Global Initiative conference, following her $100 million commitment to women’s health in February. Pivotal Ventures is currently conducting a call-out for organizations around the globe to apply to its new program, ones that “center equity in their approach and be poised to scale their work to strengthen the health of more women,” the website states. That way, women can thrive, and live to their full potential. “Together, we can help build a world where women have their health, so they can exercise their full power,” French Gates said.

Equity in Healthcare

Melinda French Gates Launches $250 Million Fund for Women’s Health

The Story Exchange

Equity in Healthcare

Melinda French Gates Launches $250 Million Fund for Women’s Health

The Story Exchange

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