Melinda French Gates To Donate $1B Over Next 2 Years In Support Of Women’s Rights

Melinda French Gates has announced that she will donate $1 billion over the next two years to individuals and organizations working to support women and families around the world, including reproductive rights in the United States.

French Gates revealed earlier this month that she would leave the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and vow to focus on women and families.

Melinda Gates | ABC News Image

Melinda French Gates To Donate $1B Over Next 2 Years In Support Of Women’s Rights

French Gates, one of the most well-known philanthropic supporters of gender parity in the country, stated in a guest article for The New York Times on Tuesday that she has become disturbed over the years by those who contend that the time is not right to talk about gender equality.

“Decades of research on economics, well-being and governance make it clear that investing in women and girls benefits everyone,” she stated.

French Gates mentioned the high maternal death rates in the United States, adding that Black and Native American moms face the greatest risk.

“Women in 14 states have lost their right to abort a pregnancy under nearly any conditions. We are still the only advanced economy without any type of national paid family leave. And the number of teenage females who have suicidal thoughts and chronic emotions of melancholy and hopelessness has risen by a decade,” she stated.

Melinda Gates | People Image

Melinda French Gates To Donate $1B Over Next 2 Years In Support Of Women’s Rights

French Gates stated that in recent weeks she has begun directing fresh grants through her firm, Pivotal Ventures, to groups working in the United States to safeguard women’s rights and enhance their power and influence. The organizations include the National Women’s Law Center, the National Domestic Workers Alliance, and the Center for Reproductive Rights.

French Gates’ Pivotal Companies is a limited liability firm that also oversees for-profit companies; thus, nothing is known about its grantmaking or the funds it administers. Pivotal Ventures has concentrated on initiatives to boost women’s economic and political engagement and influence, including narrowing the wage gap, rewarding women for care labor, and encouraging women to run for political office.

Looking ahead, French Gates intends to launch a $250 million initiative in the fall to enhance the emotional and physical health of women and girls worldwide.

French Gates will leave the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation next week. She co-founded the group about 25 years ago.

Melinda Gates | Seattle Times Image

Melinda French Gates To Donate $1B Over Next 2 Years In Support Of Women’s Rights

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation provides financial support to the Associated Press for news coverage in Africa, as does Pivotal Ventures for news coverage of women in the workforce and state governments.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will change its name to the Gates Foundation. It is one of the world’s largest charity organizations. As of December 2023, its endowment was $75.2 billion, courtesy of contributions from Gates and billionaire businessman Warren Buffett. While it works on various issues, global health remains its primary focus, and most of its financing is directed toward overseas challenges rather than those in the United States.

SOURCE – (AP)