Melinda French Gates’ Pivotal and Wellcome Leap Pledge $100M for Women’s Health Research
Melinda French Gates has announced a $100 million commitment to accelerate research into women’s health—an area long overlooked in medical science.
The funding comes through a new partnership between Pivotal, a network of organizations founded by French Gates, and Wellcome Leap, a nonprofit known for fast-tracking global health research. The announcement was made Wednesday during an interview on Good Morning America with co-anchor Robin Roberts.
“We really can do a lot more research in these areas — and I’m talking in years, not decades — to change women’s lives,” French Gates said.
$100 Million Investment Targets the Deadliest Gaps
The partnership will fund two new women's health research programs launching in 2026. The $100 million investment is split evenly between:
- $50 million from Wellcome Leap, which applies an “accelerated model” of scientific research
- $50 million from Pivotal, French Gates’ philanthropic organization founded in 2015
Initial focus areas include:
- Autoimmune disease
- Mental health
- Cardiovascular health
- Chronic illness
- Menopause-related conditions
These are areas where women are both highly impacted and historically under-researched.
Wellcome Leap will oversee the research under the leadership of CEO Regina E. Dugan, a former director of DARPA known for pioneering innovation in biomedical and technology fields.
A Faster Path to Better Care
Wellcome Leap’s model is designed to produce results within years, not decades. French Gates emphasized how these breakthroughs could improve clinical outcomes—and trust—for women.
“Women go into the doctor and they can’t find a solution or they aren’t listened to,” she said. “If we advance the research and the medicine, we can treat these women’s diseases.”
She also highlighted a stark statistic: while women live longer than men, they often spend those extra years in poorer health.
Part of a Larger Commitment
This new partnership builds on French Gates’ long-standing focus on women’s health:
- In October 2024, she pledged $250 million toward organizations improving women’s mental and physical well-being.
- The recipients of that funding—under the initiative Action for Women’s Health—will be announced in November 2025.
French Gates stepped down from the Gates Foundation in 2024 to concentrate on her own philanthropic projects. She co-founded the foundation with her former husband, Bill Gates, before their divorce in 2021.
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