Philanthropist Melinda French Gates has announced a $10 million donation to The Menopause Society as part of a broader $215 million commitment to women's health. The funding aims to address the menopause crisis in the United States by educating healthcare professionals and expanding outreach in underserved areas.
French Gates, who left The Gates Foundation in 2024, has now contributed over $600 million to women's health in the past two years through her organisation Pivotal. She told The Associated Press that women's health is fundamental to her philanthropic work, stating, 'It's just blaringly obvious that women's health is fundamental — she has to be well to do well in life.'
The Menopause Society's medical director, Dr. Stephanie Faubion, highlighted a severe shortage of menopause-competent clinicians in around 6,000 US counties. She noted that the donation will help extend educational resources to these areas, adding that menopause remains 'one of the most overlooked and underserved areas in medicine.'
French Gates hopes the donation will catalyse broader investment in menopause care. 'The role of philanthropy is to look at some of these societal problems that have been left behind, and shine light on them,' she said. 'My hope is that I'll be able to get others who will join me.'
The World Economic Forum reports that health issues uniquely affecting women receive only two percent of private healthcare funding, despite women comprising half the global population. Dr. Faubion noted that recent cuts to medical research under Donald Trump's administration have exacerbated underfunding, making philanthropy increasingly vital.
