Spear’s Review

In May 2024, Melinda French Gates sent shockwaves through the world of ultra-high-net-worth philanthropy when she announced she was leaving the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which she established with her then-husband, Bill Gates, in 2000. 

Despite separating in 2021, the couple had continued to work together and serve as co-chairs of the organisation – now known as the Gates Foundation – which is the largest private body of its kind and a powerful force in the fights against disease, poverty and climate change. As of May 2025, the group has given away over $100 billion.

French Gates has since continued her philanthropic work via Pivotal Ventures, a nonprofit organisation she founded in 2015 which is focused on removing barriers to opportunity for women and minority groups. She has committed $1 billion through 2026 to ‘advance women’s power globally’, including $200 million in grants aimed at supercharging the work of organisations that are fighting in the US to protect women’s rights, including reproductive freedom. And in September 2025, she announced she was partnering with Wellcome Leap to commit $100 million to accelerate women’s health research.

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