The Challenge
In the developing world, complications from pregnancy and childbirth are the leading causes of death among women of reproductive age. Worldwide, more than a half-million women die from these complications each year, 99 percent of them in developing countries. Maternal mortality is highest in countries where women are least likely to have access to modern contraceptives.
Over the last several decades, contraceptive use has been rising. However, contraceptives remain out of reach for many women and men who could benefit from them and want to use them. A poorly coordinated global supply and distribution system, ineffective information and tracking systems, and inadequate funding all contribute to the problem.
The Hope
Where people have access to family planning services, life often improves. People who can choose the number and spacing of their children – and expect their children to survive – have smaller families. Parents are able to devote greater time and economic resources to each child, which helps improve the health of children and families. In addition, women who have access to health care and family planning services face less risk of death or disability resulting from pregnancy or childbirth.
The foundation concentrates its support on efforts to:
- Expand access to family planning services
- Develop new contraceptives
- Reduce pregnancy-related illness and death by discovering tools to reduce its most common causes
Representative Grants
- $40 million to Johns Hopkins University to expand the Bill & Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health, which helps strengthen leadership and institutions in developing countries (March 2003)
- $11.9 million to CONRAD/Eastern Virginia Medical School to support clinical trials of hormonal combinations for male contraception and contraceptive agents for vaginal use (July 2002)
- $8 million to Family Care International to provide technical assistance and educational resources to reduce maternal mortality through the promotion of skilled birth care at deliveries in Burkina Faso, Kenya, and Tanzania (March 2000)
- $3 million to the International Planned Parenthood Federation, European Region, to promote European support for reproductive health (May 2005)
- $1 million to Population Action International to develop a web-based reproductive health supply information sharing system (November 2004)