Gates Foundation is giving $2.5 billion to fund women’s health research

The Gates Foundation said Monday it's committing $2.5 billion to help fund women’s health research and development through 2030. 

The donation — which is the foundation’s largest ever in women’s health — will go to support more than 40 innovations in five areas that the foundation referred to in a release as “critical” and “underfunded."  

The organization will invest in obstetric care and maternal immunization, maternal health and nutrition, gynecological and menstrual health, contraceptive innovation, and STIs, which includes research into non-hormonal contraception and therapeutics for preeclampsia, among others.

The foundation said it chose these focus areas based on data and research on “where innovation can save and improve the most lives.”  

The funding will go to some institutions in the Boston area, including Tufts University, Fenway Health, and some Harvard schools, Axios reports. 

“Investing in women’s health has a lasting impact across generations. It leads to healthier families, stronger economies, and a more just world,” foundation chair Bill Gates said in the release. “Yet women’s health continues to be ignored, underfunded, and sidelined. Too many women still die from preventable causes or live in poor health. That must change. But we can’t do it alone.” 

Dr. Anita Zaidi, president of the Gates Foundation’s Gender Equality Division, said the organization's commitment still “falls far short” of what is needed in women’s health research. In the release, the foundation called on governments, investors, the private sector, and other philanthropists to also invest in advancing research.

In May, Gates said he plans to speed up his donations to his foundation to ultimately give 99% of his wealth to the charity before it shuts down in 2045. He said the foundation will spend more than $200 billion between now and 2045 to fight global diseases.