Founded by Melinda French Gates, Pivotal Ventures accelerates social progress by removing barriers that hold people back.

©$year Pivotal Ventures

Philanthropy

We are harnessing the power of philanthropy.

We believe that philanthropy has a unique and important role to play in supporting and scaling innovative new solutions to entrenched problems.

approach-giving-vertical

Key Principles
& Tactics

Supporting Partners

We make grants that help organizations maximize their impact. We seek out partners who are closest to the issues and support them as they scale proven ideas and catalyze new ones.

Seeding Innovation

We believe that transformational ideas can come from anywhere—and that philanthropy can help advance social progress by encouraging innovation and experimentation.

Advancing the Field

We use our resources to bring together people and organizations working toward shared goals and support ways for them to effectively collaborate, so that they can drive change further and faster.

Driving Sustainable Impact

We take a multi-phased approach to help us develop and refine our strategies.

Students gather around a laptop computer.

Our multi-phased approach allows us to explore multiple interventions, identify opportunities for impact, and build sustainably for long-term solutions.

We start by building a deeper understanding of the issues we work on. Then, with help from our partners, people with lived experience, and other experts, we develop hypotheses about how to accelerate progress.

As our partners test these theories, we learn together what works and what doesn’t.

Then, we work closely with our partners to build effective, long-term strategies and practices that will continue to unlock progress long after our partnership ends.

"We’re chipping away at the assumption that most disruptive innovation comes from the private sector. Philanthropy, too, is a proven source of transformative ideas."

Portrait of Dr. Renee Wittemyer
Dr. Renee Wittemyer
Vice President, Program Strategy
  • Women and Girls of Color

    The Black Feminist Fund wants more and better funding for Black feminist movements.

    While Black feminist movements are at the forefront of many struggles for social progress globally, they remain chronically underfunded. The Black Feminist Fund connects grassroots Black feminist organizations to the resources they need, ensuring that Black women can create and sustain their own movements.

    Learn More
    A large group of Black women gather around smiling and posing for the camera.

    Courtesy of Black Feminist Fund

  • Women in Technology

    Reboot Representation is closing the race and gender gap in tech.

    Reboot Representation gathers leading tech companies to work together to double the number of Black, Latina, and Native American women receiving computing degrees—and it pushes the industry to do a better job of recruiting and retaining underrepresented women of color.

    Learn More
    Dwana Franklin-Davis, CEO of Reboot Representation, sits at a table and smiles.

    Shannon Finney for Pivotal Ventures

  • Mental Health for Young People

    The AAKOMA Project advocates for more equitable mental health care.

    Youth of color face a number of challenges finding mental health care that reflects their needs and experiences. The AAKOMA Project is working toward a world in which they, and all young people, can get the mental health support that they need.

    Learn More
    Dr. Alfiee M. Breland-Noble, founder of the AAKOMA Project, sits on a stage with a microphone in hand at a conference.

    Courtesy of the AAKOMA Project

  • Women’s Political Power

    Higher Heights Leadership Fund is the political home for Black women.

    Higher Heights Leadership Fund (HHLF) is focused on increasing and strengthening Black women’s civic participation and leadership capacity to improve the lives of Black people and strengthen American democracy.

    Learn More
    Leaders from Higher Heights stand against a pink background at an event.

    Courtesy of Higher Heights Leadership Fund

Portraits of young people representing a diverse variety of races and gender identities.

Insights From the Team

Building the Mental Health System That Young People Need and Deserve

Our partners are designing solutions to improve young people’s mental health and wellbeing.

Founded by Melinda French Gates, Pivotal Ventures accelerates social progress by removing barriers that hold people back.

Since Melinda French Gates founded Pivotal Ventures in 2015, we have used different kinds of funding to achieve our mission to advance social progress, including venture capital investments, advocacy funding, and philanthropic grantmaking. In 2022, Melinda formed Pivotal Philanthropies Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, to support philanthropic grantmaking and help facilitate this flexible approach to driving impact.

©$year Pivotal Ventures
blank image