Melinda French Gates is ready for the next chapter of her philanthropic giving.
Just two weeks after Melinda announced that she would be resigning from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the organization she co-founded with her ex-husband, she has laid out a plan for what she plans to do with $1 billion in new spending in the next two years.
In an Op-Ed she wrote for the New York Times, Melinda writes that $1 billion will go to "people and organizations working on behalf of women and families around the world, including on reproductive rights in the United States."
She explains, "Despite the pressing need, only about 2 percent of charitable giving in the United States goes to organizations focused on women and girls, and only about half a percentage point goes to organizations focused on women of color specifically. When we allow this cause to go so chronically underfunded, we all pay the cost. As shocking as it is to contemplate, my 1-year-old granddaughter may grow up with fewer rights than I had."
Melinda outlines that the $1 billion in new funding will go to grants "to groups working in the United States to protect the rights of women and advance their power and influence," including the National Women’s Law Center, the National Domestic Workers Alliance, and the Center for Reproductive Rights; 12 grants of $20 million to individuals such as Jacinda Arden, Allyson Felix, and Shabana Basij-Rasikh to distribute how they see fit; and a $250 million initiative "focused on improving the mental and physical health of women and girls globally."
When Melinda announced she would be resigning from the foundation, she stated, "under the terms of my agreement with Bill, in leaving the foundation, I will have an addition $12.5 billion to commit to my work on behalf of women and families." The Gates Foundation is worth an estimated $75.2 billion.
When Melinda announced she would be resigning from the foundation, she stated, "under the terms of my agreement with Bill, in leaving the foundation, I will have an addition $12.5 billion to commit to my work on behalf of women and families." The Gates Foundation, which they launched in 2000, is worth an estimated $75.2 billion.
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.
