Melinda French Gates Backs $100M Partnership for Women’s Health Research

Philanthropist Melinda French Gates announced a $100 million partnership between her organization Pivotal Ventures and the non-profit Wellcome Leap to fund women's health research, with each committing $50 million to address chronic underfunding in this area. The initiative, launching programs in 2026, targets diseases disproportionately affecting women, including cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disorders, and mental health conditions. Despite women spending 25% more of their lives in poor health, only 1% of global health research beyond cancer focuses on female-specific conditions. French Gates, who left the Gates Foundation in 2024, has long advocated for elevating women's health and power globally, emphasizing that women have historically been sidelined in medical research, as evidenced by the 1993 law mandating their inclusion in clinical trials. This new effort complements the Gates Foundation's recent $2.5 billion pledge to fund neglected women's health issues by 2030, with French Gates expressing hope for collaboration among funders to close the gender gap in medical research. The partnership aims to ensure women no longer face higher risks of misdiagnosis or prolonged ill health without adequate scientific answers.