Melinda French Gates Announces Giving Tuesday Gift of $1 Million to 2 Women-Focused Organizations
The philanthropist challenged others to give to nonprofits that benefit women and children, because they receive less than 2% of all charitable gifts
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Melinda French Gates attends Fortune's "Most Powerful Women" dinner series in New York City celebrating global women leaders at Park Hyatt New York on May 14, 2024 in New York City.Melinda French Gates is giving back with an emphasis on women and families.
On Tuesday, Dec. 3, the philanthropist announced she is donating $1 million to organizations close to her heart in honor of Giving Tuesday.
"I’m excited to share that I’m partnering with @everydotorg this giving season to mobilize the power of everyday givers—those who do what they can, with what they have, to make a difference," French Gates, 60, said in a video shared to Instagram. "Starting today through December 13, my organization Pivotal is matching up to $1 million in donations in support of two organizations I deeply admire: Vote Mama Foundation and @rcicaregiving."
The Vote Mama Foundation helps to support mothers running for political office, while the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers advocates for those who care for others.
French Gates previously teased the announcement last Monday, Nov. 25 on Instagram alongside a video in which she discussed her philanthropic work over the years, and how she has seen it impact others. She noted that she learned the “importance of giving back” from her parents, who taught her and her siblings that they had “a responsibility to help make life better for others.”
"... I saw the difference that one person’s time could make and how it could impact and help others,” she said in the video alongside photos of herself working with students. “And I think of it as like ripples in a pond. You give something back and you never know whose lives you will actually touch.”
In her caption, she further explained, “What I love most about giving back is how it can deepen our connection to each other and to our communities—something I think many of us need right now. And best of all, anyone can be a giver, because everyone has something to offer the world."
Related: Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates' 3 Children: All About Jennifer, Rory and Phoebe
Earlier this year, French Gates announced that she would step down from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which she co-founded with Gates over 20 years ago. Since her departure, she has shared that she is focusing on her nonprofit organization, Pivotal Ventures, which seeks to empower women.
She opened up about her work in the aftermath of her divorce with Gates after 27 years of marriage (which was finalized in August 2021). The pair share two daughters, Jennifer, 28, and Phoebe, 22, and son Rory, 25.
"Fundamentally, I’m the same person, but I can use my full voice in any way I want to. And my full resources in any way I want to. And that, to me, it’s something I’ve been saying about women in society; that they should have their full voice, their full resources, their full decision making authority," she said. "And now I’m role modeling that."
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