Philanthropist Melinda French Gates announced she will match up to $1 million in donations to two non-profit organizations in a GivingTuesday initiative aimed at amplifying charitable contributions.
French Gates is offering to match up to $1 million in gifts to two nonprofit organizations focused on women’s empowerment and caregiving.
The matching funds are part of her ongoing mission to create a more equitable society through her organization, Pivotal Ventures.
What Is GivingTuesday?
GivingTuesday, celebrated annually on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving, has evolved from a simple hashtag to a global day of giving. Last year alone, it generated an estimated $3.1 billion in donations.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was an early supporter of GivingTuesday, which has since become its own organization.
However, data shows that while the total amount donated has been resilient, the number of participating households has declined. French Gates hopes to reignite enthusiasm for giving.
Jose Luis Magana/AP
“It’s a great time to remind people that we’re better off when we give something back and we all have something to give back,” said French Gates in an interview, speaking about her enthusiasm for GivingTuesday.
In addition, Asha Curran, CEO of the nonprofit GivingTuesday, said matches like French Gates’ help catalyze people to give.
“We really share a commitment to the idea also that philanthropy is not just in the hands of the ultra wealthy,” she said. “That it really takes everyone to contribute to a healthy society through generosity.”
What Are the Non-Profit Organizations?
The donations French Gates plans to match will benefit the Vote Mama Foundation, which helps mothers run for public office, and the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers, an organization dedicated to advocating for and supporting caregivers.
Both organizations will have 10 days to raise the matched funds, facilitated through the crowdfunding platform Every.org, which will track the donations that will be matched.
Liuba Grechen Shirley, CEO of Vote Mama Foundation, expressed gratitude for the unexpected support.
“This was Melinda. This was a complete surprise to us,” Grechen Shirley said, adding that the move will help her organization.
The initiative also highlights French Gates’ broader advocacy for policies such as paid family leave and affordable childcare. Through Pivotal Ventures, she has pledged $1 billion over two years to initiatives benefiting women and families, including global health efforts and direct grants to nonprofit leaders.
Meanwhile, according to French Gates, the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers is one of the first organizations to speak out about the work of caregiving.
Paurvi Bhatt, who leads the institute, emphasized the long-standing relationship French Gates had with former first lady Rosalynn Carter, who passed away last year, stating that the matching gift “is based on a hand-in-glove relationship we’ve had for a number of years.
This GivingTuesday match is French Gates’ latest public commitment since stepping back from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
“The reason I’ve come out so strongly saying, ‘This is what I am doing next,’ is because I wanted people to know I’m not going away,” said French Gates. “My values are still here. And this work around ‘How do we make a more equitable society?’ There is so much work to be done in the United States.”
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
