{
  "id": 4855183,
  "title": "Melinda Gates’ $12.5 billion bet on women’s health",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/01/melinda-gates-12-5-billion-bet-on-womens-health",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-01T11:28:06.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Economic Times",
    "slug": "the-economic-times",
    "url": "https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/global-trends/melinda-french-gates-left-the-gates-foundation-with-12-5-billion-shes-betting-it-on-the-problems-nobody-else-wants-to-fund/articleshow/133679575.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Melinda French Gates, former head of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has recently shifted her philanthropic focus to women's health and related issues, committing a significant portion of her $12.5 billion fortune to this cause. Instead of diversifying her charitable giving, she has concentrated her efforts on women and girls, particularly in areas that have traditionally received less attention and funding. In 2024, French Gates pledged $1 billion over two years to support organizations and individuals advancing women's empowerment in the US and globally. This commitment, made through her organization Pivotal, has been directed towards women's rights, reproductive freedom, domestic workers, and political participation, among other issues. Her approach includes funding a diverse range of initiatives, from supporting leaders in their communities to providing substantial grants to organizations focused on women's empowerment. One key aspect of her work is addressing unpaid care work, which disproportionately affects women, leading to a phenomenon she calls \"time poverty.\" To tackle this, French Gates has increased her philanthropic efforts in areas such as childcare, family support, and economic opportunities for women. In 2026, she announced an additional $215 million commitment to women's health, covering areas like contraceptive access, maternal care, mental health, and midlife health issues, including menopause. This brings her total investment in women's health to over $600 million in two years. French Gates has also shown her support for high-profile figures like Olivia Rodrigo, contributing $10 million to a women's health effort during Rodrigo's festival, raising a further $20 million for related causes. Overall, French Gates' philanthropic strategy reflects a strong emphasis on issues that have historically been underfunded and overlooked, aiming to make a significant impact on women's health and empowerment worldwide.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}