On Sept. 10, 2025, philanthropist Melinda French Gates announces she will invest $50 million in a women’s health fund that aims to close a vast gender gap in medical research.

French Gates, whose Pivotal group joins the non-profit Wellcome Leap in the partnership worth $100 million overall, pointed to data showing only 1% of pharmaceutical research funding went to women’s health outside cancer in 2024.

The aim of the partnership is to accelerate research in areas with the highest burdens of disease and death, and which often affect women differently or disproportionately when compared to men, including cardiovascular disease, autoimmune conditions, and mental health.

French Gates has advocated for women’s health for several decades in her work at the Gates Foundation, which she exited in 2024. It is now fronted solely by her ex-husband, Bill Gates.

The partnership will choose two key projects by the end of 2026, and aim for results within 3-5 years, the founders said.