Melinda French Gates’s Apparent Embrace of Trust-Based Philanthropy Should Inspire Others
June 11, 2024 | Read Time: 1 minute
To the Editor:
Alex Daniels and Stephanie Beasley’s recent article — “Melinda French Gates’s $12.5 Billion Separation Agreement From Gates Foundation Is a Windfall for Women’s Causes” (May 14) — filled me with hope about the future of trust-based philanthropy.
French Gates’s apparent embrace of trust-based grant making — “rather than solely relying on data and metrics,” as the article states — is a welcome change from the overly quantitative and risk-averse approaches I’ve encountered as a medical epidemiologist, physician, and entrepreneur. My experiences living and working in underserved communities have demonstrated that persistent social challenges can’t be addressed without listening to and directly addressing people’s concerns, while also practicing humility.
Maternal health is an excellent example of how the current culture of philanthropy stifles progress. In recent years, billions of dollars have been invested to address maternal health, yet data show maternal health outcomes are not improving commensurate with funding.
Tackling maternal health requires addressing the absence of health promotion and disease prevention resources, limited access to reproductive education and planning resources, and inadequate postpartum mental health services and support. If grant makers listened to those on the ground working to improve maternal health outcomes, they’d fund such initiatives more.
French Gates’s and Pivotal Ventures’ announcement should inspire others in philanthropy to embrace a human-centered approach to funding. Trust-based philanthropy, which cedes strategic direction to those closest to problems, is vital to a foundation’s effectiveness and the best way to save and tangibly improve the lives of millions.
Lisa Fitzpatrick
Founder and CEO
Grapevine Health
