This past year, we saw how the Biden-Harris administration made large new commitments to addressing women’s health, particularly health research on women. Today, another milestone for change in this arena took place as Pivotal, a Melinda French Gates organization, launched Action for Women’s Health, a $250 million global open call that will fund organizations around the world improving women’s mental and physical health.
“To fully exercise power over their lives, women need to be mentally and physically healthy. And yet, women’s health is being neglected everywhere,” said Melinda French Gates. “More than 1 billion women and girls suffer from malnutrition. Reproductive health care is being denied in the U.S. and other countries. And globally, a woman dies in childbirth every two minutes.”
“This is unacceptable,” French Gates declared in a press release about the new initiative, “but there is reason for hope. Organizations around the world are taking innovative approaches to addressing these challenges, and this open call is about getting them the resources they need to scale up and reach as many people as possible.”
The open call is a key part of the $1 billion French Gates announced in May to advance women’s power globally. Applicants must register by December 3, 2024.
When Will Women’s Health Be Valued as Highly As Men’s?
Across the globe, women experience inequities in every area of health. These health deficits are making it harder for women to prosper physically, socially, and economically. Action for Women’s Health will support an array of organizations—of diverse geographies, sizes, perspectives, and approaches—united by their work to improve the mental and physical health of women. This initiative seeks to open access to funding streams to organizations and groups that historically have not had access to them.
Interested organizations are invited to visit womenshealth.leverforchange.org for more information. An Organizational Readiness Tool assessment is available on the site that can help determine eligibility. Applicants must register before 4 p.m. U.S. Central Time on Tuesday, December 3, 2024 and submit an online application before 4 p.m. U.S. Central Time on Friday, January 10, 2025. Eligible organizations must serve women and have a record of improving their mental or physical health. Equity should be central and applicants should pay attention to designing their projects for scaling to strengthen women’s health.
Action for Women’s Health is being managed by Lever for Change, a nonprofit affiliate of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
“We are delighted to partner with Pivotal again, on this vital issue of women’s health,” said Cecilia Conrad, CEO of Lever for Change. “Three years ago, the Equality Can’t Wait Challenge awarded $40 million to support bold ideas to expand women’s power and influence in the United States. With this new open call, we hope to reach even more outstanding organizations in communities that have not had access to this kind of funding. Action for Women’s Health will lift up community-informed groups around the world with deep lived experience of the issues they work on.”
Applications will undergo an administrative review to confirm basic eligibility, followed by a participatory review by other applicants. In May-June 2025, organizations that are top-rated by their peers will advance to a second round of review by an external Evaluation Panel of women’s health professionals. Following a final round of due diligence, Pivotal will select awardees. Each awardee will receive flexible funding support between $1 million and $5 million. Action for Women’s Health awardees will be announced by the end of 2025.
About Pivotal
Founded by Melinda French Gates in 2015, Pivotal works to advance social progress and expand women’s power and influence in the U.S. and around the world. Through high-impact investments, philanthropy, partnerships, and advocacy, Pivotal seeks to remove the barriers that hold women – and all people – back. Pivotal is comprised of Pivotal Ventures, LLC and Pivotal Philanthropies Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit organization launched in 2022. Learn more at pivotalventures.org
About Lever for Change
Lever for Change is a nonprofit donor advisor that connects funders with bold solutions to the world’s biggest problems—including issues like racial inequity, gender inequality, lack of access to economic opportunity, and climate change. Using an inclusive, equitable model and due diligence process, Lever for Change creates customized open call challenges and other tailored funding opportunities. Top-ranked teams and challenge finalists become members of the Bold Solutions Network—a growing global network that helps secure additional funding for as many applicants as possible, amplify members’ impact, and accelerate social change. Founded in 2019 as a nonprofit affiliate of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Lever for Change has influenced over $2.2 billion in grants to date and provided support to more than 500 organizations. To learn more, visit www.leverforchange.org.
