00:00, 06 March 2026
Words by Cheyanne Bryan, Editorial and Campaign Marketing Executive, London
This Women’s History Month, we take the time to celebrate women everywhere, especially when they are making big moves in philanthropy. Around the world, women are using their influence, resources and platforms to tackle some of society’s most pressing challenges, from improving global healthcare and advancing scientific research to expanding access to education and championing the rights of women and refugees.
Country music star and icon Dolly Parton has built one of the most admired celebrity philanthropic portfolios. Her most famous initiative is the Imagination Library, launched in 1995, which mails free books to children from birth to age five. The programme now operates in several countries and has distributed over 200 million books worldwide.
Parton has also funded disaster relief, including millions donated to victims of the 2016 Tennessee wildfires through the My People Fund. During the COVID-19 pandemic she donated $1 million to research at Vanderbilt University, which supported work on the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
Her philanthropy focuses heavily on literacy, education and community support, particularly in her home state of Tennessee. What makes Parton distinctive is her practical approach: she tends to build programmes that deliver tangible outcomes rather than one-off donations.
Author and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has reshaped modern giving through large, unrestricted donations delivered at remarkable speed. Since 2019 she has donated more than $17 billion to charities supporting education, racial equity, public health and economic mobility.
Scott publishes transparent updates on her giving through Yield Giving, where she lists recipient organisations and the reasoning behind her grants. Her philosophy centres on “trust-based philanthropy”, meaning charities receive funds with minimal restrictions so they can decide how best to use them.
Rather than creating a traditional foundation with complex bureaucracy, Scott works with advisers to identify high-impact organisations and move funds quickly. Many recipients have been smaller grassroots groups that historically struggle to access major philanthropic funding.
Her approach has influenced broader debates in philanthropy about speed, transparency and power dynamics between donors and charities.
Melinda French Gates is one of the world’s most influential philanthropists, best known for her work improving global health and gender equality. She co-founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000, which has invested tens of billions in areas such as vaccines, malaria prevention, maternal health and poverty reduction.
In 2022 she launched Pivotal Ventures, an investment and incubation company focused specifically on advancing women’s power and influence in the United States.
French Gates has been a vocal advocate for family planning, women’s economic participation and equal representation in leadership. She has also pushed the philanthropic sector to invest more heavily in organisations led by women.
Her work combines philanthropy, advocacy and policy engagement, making her a leading voice in global conversations about gender equity.
Entrepreneur and philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs founded Emerson Collective in 2004. The organisation blends philanthropy, investment and advocacy to address education inequality, immigration reform, environmental sustainability and social justice.
Powell Jobs has also invested heavily in journalism and storytelling initiatives, supporting organisations that strengthen independent media and public discourse.
Education is a major pillar of her work. Through programmes like XQ Institute, supported by Emerson Collective, she has helped fund initiatives to reimagine the American high school system. Rather than operating as a traditional grant-making foundation, Emerson Collective functions as a hybrid organisation that can fund non-profits, back social enterprises and advocate for policy change.
Paediatrician Priscilla Chan co-founded the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) with her husband, Mark Zuckerberg, in 2015. The initiative focuses on science, education and criminal justice reform.
CZI has committed billions towards biomedical research, including ambitious efforts to map human cells and accelerate disease cures. The initiative also funds technology-driven education tools aimed at personalised learning in schools.
Chan’s medical background strongly influences the organisation’s priorities. She has emphasised the importance of long-term scientific funding and collaborative research networks.
Unlike a traditional charity, CZI operates as a limited liability company, allowing it to make philanthropic grants while also investing in companies and participating in policy advocacy.
Philanthropist Jennifer Buffett co-founded the NoVo Foundation with her husband, Peter Buffett, in 2006. The foundation focuses on empowering girls and women globally and ending violence and exploitation against them.
NoVo supports grassroots organisations, social justice movements and initiatives that challenge structural inequality. It has funded programmes addressing gender-based violence, education for girls and community-led development.
Buffett also serves on the board of the Nike Foundation, which promotes the Girl Effect, a campaign highlighting the economic and social impact of investing in adolescent girls.
In addition, she is involved with V-Day, a global activist movement working to end violence against women and girls. Her philanthropic work is notable for its movement-building approach, supporting activism and community leadership rather than only large institutional programmes.
Former hedge-fund executive Laura Arnold co-founded Arnold Ventures with her husband, John Arnold. The organisation focuses on evidence-based policy reform.
Its work targets major structural issues including criminal justice reform, healthcare policy, education systems and public finance. Arnold Ventures funds research, policy analysis and advocacy efforts designed to influence legislation and public policy.
A significant portion of its work focuses on improving pre-trial justice systems and reducing unnecessary incarceration in the United States. The organisation’s model emphasises data-driven philanthropy, supporting rigorous research and using findings to push for systemic change.
Entrepreneur Lyda Hill founded the Lyda Hill Foundation in 1997. Her philanthropy focuses on science, nature conservation and strengthening communities, particularly in North Texas and Colorado Springs.
Hill has invested heavily in biomedical research, donating $25 million towards breast cancer research in 2015. She also founded the Oklahoma Breast Care Center, helping improve early detection and treatment.
Another initiative, Remeditex Ventures, is a venture capital fund designed to support early-stage biomedical discoveries, bridging the gap between scientific research and commercial development. Lyda’s approach blends traditional philanthropy with impact investment, aiming to accelerate breakthroughs in medicine and environmental innovation.
Indian biotech entrepreneur Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw has built a reputation as one of Asia’s most prominent philanthropists in healthcare and medical research.
Through the Mazumdar-Shaw Foundation she has funded major healthcare initiatives, including the Mazumdar-Shaw Cancer Center in Bengaluru, which provides advanced cancer treatment and research facilities.
Her philanthropy focuses particularly on affordable healthcare, cancer treatment and biotechnology research in India.
Kiran has consistently advocated for improving access to high-quality healthcare in developing countries, often emphasising the role of innovation and biotech entrepreneurship in solving global health challenges.
Media leader Oprah Winfrey has long prioritised education and empowerment in her philanthropy. Her most significant initiative is the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa, a boarding school founded in 2007 for academically gifted girls from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Oprah has also donated hundreds of millions to education, including major gifts to historically Black colleges and universities in the United States.
Her Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation supports initiatives in education, disaster relief, and community development. Oprah often combines philanthropy with mentorship and storytelling, using her media influence to amplify social issues and inspire charitable giving.
Sara Mardini is a Syrian refugee, swimmer and human rights activist who became internationally known for helping rescue fellow refugees during a dangerous boat journey to Greece in 2015.
She later worked with ERCI (Emergency Response Centre International), a humanitarian organisation providing rescue and relief services to refugees arriving in Europe.
Sara’s advocacy focuses on refugee rights, humanitarian aid and safe migration policies. Her story has drawn global attention to the human realities of displacement and the risks faced by refugees crossing the Mediterranean. Her experiences were also depicted in the Netflix film The Swimmers, which brought wider awareness to refugee humanitarian efforts.
Singer and actor Barbra Streisand has supported social causes for decades through the Streisand Foundation.
Her philanthropic interests include women’s cardiovascular health, environmental protection, civil liberties and voter rights. She funded the Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, helping raise awareness of heart disease in women.
Barb has also supported climate and environmental initiatives as well as organisations working to protect democratic institutions. Her giving combines healthcare research, advocacy and civil rights, reflecting a long-standing commitment to progressive social causes.
