It was also her first time in Tuscaloosa—but she’s already had a major impact on the city. She was there to visit WAWC, a former abortion clinic that briefly shut down after the overturn of Roe v. Wade. Her firm Pivotal’s $5 million grant helped the clinic reopen providing other women’s health services, from pregnancy and midwife care to mental health support. It moved to a stately brick home that used to house a software company—and that the clinic’s director calls their “dream house.”
This grant is just one of several French Gates will support through a new $215 million commitment to women’s health, which she spoke with me about exclusively before announcing her new strategy today. The commitment brings Pivotal’s total money toward women’s health up to $600 million. And this is all still considered a “testing phase” that French Gates expects to last two to three years. Right now, her women’s health strategy is focused on access to care during women’s reproductive years, health during midlife and menopause, and mental health. Some of Pivotal’s initial partners include the research-focused Wellcome Leap (previously announced); the Menopause Society, which trains health care professionals on the life stage; and Co‑Impact, which works to embed mental health into maternal care around the world. The deep dive into women’s health will play out across Pivotal’s three signature pillars, which in addition to philanthropy include policy advocacy and investment in startups and funds.
