Editing Melinda French Gates (section)

=== Philanthropy ===
Since 2000, French Gates has been in the public eye, stating "As I thought about strong women of history, I realized that they stepped out in some way."<ref name=":1" /> This has allowed her work shaping and advancing the goals of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to be publicly recognized. By 2022, Bill and Melinda had given US$59.1 billion of their personal wealth to the foundation.<ref name="FactSheet">{{cite web |title=Foundation Fact Sheet |url=https://www.gatesfoundation.org/who-we-are/general-information/foundation-factsheet |website=Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation |language=en}}</ref> On May 13, 2024, French Gates resigned as co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, to be effective June 7.<ref>{{cite web | title=Melinda French Gates says she is resigning from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation | website=KOMO | date=May 13, 2024 | url=https://komonews.com/news/nation-world/melinda-french-gates-says-she-is-resigning-from-bill-and-melinda-gates-foundation-microsoft-billionaires-nonprofit-organization-charity-charitable-support-one-of-the-worlds-most-powerful-women | access-date=May 13, 2024}}</ref><ref name="CNN-resignation">{{cite web |title= Melinda French Gates is resigning from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation |first=David |last=Goldman |work=CNN |date=May 13, 2024 |access-date=May 13, 2024 |url= https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/13/investing/melinda-gates-resigns-foundation/index.html}}</ref> The foundation was subsequently renamed the [[Gates Foundation]], with Bill Gates as its sole chair.<ref name=":8" />

In 2015, French Gates founded Pivotal Ventures as a separate, independent organization to identify and implement innovative solutions to problems affecting U.S. women and families.<ref>[https://www.pivotalventures.org/#who-we-are Pivotal Ventures-Who we are] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418005744/https://www.pivotalventures.org/#who-we-are|date=April 18, 2020}}, pivotalventures.org; retrieved April 17, 2020.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bishop |first=Todd |date=2015-08-12 |title=Melinda Gates creates 'Pivotal Ventures' to pursue outside projects, focusing on women's issues |url=https://www.geekwire.com/2015/melinda-gates-creates-pivotal-ventures-to-pursue-outside-projects-focusing-on-womens-issues/ |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=GeekWire |language=en-US}}</ref> In partnership with Lever for Change, an affiliate of the [[MacArthur Foundation]] French Gates announced a 2024-25 grant competition called Action for Women's Health, which aims to provide $250 million in grants to fund women's health initiatives.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-10-09 |title=Melinda French Gates will give $250M to women's health groups globally through a new open call |url=https://apnews.com/article/melinda-french-gates-open-call-lever-for-change-global-womens-health-9b76dccb34b3500ebff3d7bfdf07f2b7 |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref>