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

©$year Pivotal Ventures, A Melinda French Gates Company

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.

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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.

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    A large group of Black women gather around smiling and posing for the camera.
  • 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.
  • Mental Health for Young People

    The AAKOMA Project supports mental health and wellbeing of youth of color.

    Youth of color face a number of challenges finding mental health care that reflects their needs and experiences. But The AAKOMA Project is working toward a world in which every young person is able to 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.
  • Women’s Political Power

    Higher Heights for America is the political home for Black women.

    Higher Heights for America is building the political power and leadership of Black women—from the voting booth to elected office—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.
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.