Gates Foundation Commits $2.5 Billion to Transform Women’s Health by 2030

Bill Gates calls for urgent attention to overlooked conditions—from preeclampsia to menopause—in one of the foundation’s most ambitious health investments to date

In a landmark move to address decades of systemic neglect in women’s healthcare, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has announced a $2.5 billion commitment to women’s health by 2030. The investment—one of the largest in the foundation’s history—aims to catalyze research, development, and equitable access to treatments for a range of conditions that have long been underfunded and under-researched.

The announcement marks a major milestone in Bill Gates’ personal mission to give away his $200 billion fortune by 2045. The new funding represents a roughly 33% increase compared to what the foundation spent on women’s and maternal health research and development over the last five years.

“Women’s health continues to be ignored, underfunded, and sidelined. Too many women still die from preventable causes or live in poor health,” said Gates in a statement. “That must change.”

The $2.5 billion initiative will concentrate on five critical areas:

• Obstetric care and maternal immunization
• Maternal health and nutrition
• Gynecological and menstrual health
• Contraceptive innovation
• Sexually transmitted infection prevention and care

The foundation is targeting conditions that affect hundreds of millions of women in both high- and low-income countries, including preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, endometriosis, heavy menstrual bleeding, and menopause. These areas have been historically underexplored due to societal bias and glaring gaps in research.

Dr. Anita Zaidi, president of the foundation’s gender equality division, highlighted the staggering lack of data, citing that in some studies only 10 women had ever been researched. “We don’t even have the answers to these basic questions,” she noted.

This underrepresentation is underscored by a 2021 McKinsey & Co analysis, which found that just 1% of healthcare research and innovation spending globally went to female-specific conditions outside of cancer.

Zaidi acknowledged that while $2.5 billion is significant, it is still a “drop in the bucket” compared to the global need. She called on private sector players, philanthropists, and governments to step in and contribute to closing the gap.

The move comes as other philanthropists, including Gates’ former wife Melinda French Gates—who left the foundation in 2024—are also directing resources into women’s health initiatives.

As the foundation launches this bold new chapter, it hopes not only to advance science but also to change the narrative around women’s health: from one of neglect and invisibility to one of innovation, empowerment, and equity.