In May, Melinda French Gates resigned as co-chairman of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and announced that it was dedicating $1 billion over the next two years for women's organizations.
On Wednesday, part of that vision unfolded — the French gates launched Action for women's healtha $250 million fund for nonprofit organizations that support the mental and physical health of women across the globe.
“Women's health continues to be an afterthought and is affecting the health of our families, our communities, our economies,” French Gates said. in a promotional video for the fund. “Thankfully there are so many amazing organizations around the world working to change that.”
Melinda French Gates. Photo by Taylor Hill/FilmMagic
The Women's Health Action will help fund grassroots organizations that address women's health issues, French Gates explained. Each winner will receive between 1 million and 5 million dollars and undergo multiple rounds of review before funding is secured. Winners will be announced by the end of next year.
Here's what the fund is looking for and how to apply.
Who should apply?
Applicants should focus on women's mental or physical health and meet four criteria: Be impactful, scalable, equitable and feasible.
Impact, for example, is measured by the nonprofit's demonstrated contributions. A score of 1 would be no input and an ineffective, impractical approach, while a score of 5 would be earned through examples of input and an approach with proven effectiveness.
A organizational readiness tool is available to help applicants assess whether they meet the requirements. The form goes through criteria like who can apply – individuals, for-profits, LLCs and B-Corps are not eligible.
It also asks whether the nonprofit's central focus is women's mental or physical health and whether they have at least two years of audited financial records, among other questions.
How to apply
The Women's Health Action is now accepting applications, with a deadline of January 10, 2025. Organizations must register their intention to apply until December 3, 2024.
Related: Melinda French Gates says this mindset hack helped her overcome impostor syndrome