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From 2005-2025, Linked Foundation invested to improve the health and economic wellbeing of women and their families in Latin America and the United States.

Linked Foundation was formed in 2005 with the goal to spend down its allocated resources to improve women’s health within 20 years. We are sharing what we learned so that other philanthropists and changemakers can continue to carry this important work forward, employing the grantmaking and catalytic capital approaches we found so impactful.

“While this chapter of Linked Foundation’s work is closing, our confidence in a better future endures. We are grateful to those who will carry the work forward—funders, investors, entrepreneurs, practitioners, and advocates who continue to invest in women’s health and economic opportunity. The field is stronger, more vibrant, and more collaborative than ever before, and we believe it will only grow in power and purpose.”

– Nancy Swanson-Roberts & Dorothy Largay

OUR APPROACH

Women’s Health

We brought a gender lens to all of our work, in particular through our support of organizations that focus on women, who are important agents of change as health and economic decision-makers.

Sustainable & Scalable

We invested in scalable, market-based solutions, focusing on outcomes, and created strong cross-sector partnerships, to ensure longterm, sustained impact.

Catalytic Partnerships

We often engaged in a “blended capital” approach, co-investing with partner organizations in the form of grants, debt financing and technical assistance to catalyze growth and social impact.

INSIGHTS & IMPACT

In addition to providing direct funding, Linked Foundation strengthened the women’s health and philanthropy sectors as a whole by publishing research and sponsoring knowledge exchange, serving as a connector and providing technical assistance in our areas of expertise.

Read more about our learnings in an article published in the Stanford Social Innovation Review.

Collaborated to improve health
outcomes for vulnerable women
and girls in Latin America

In partnership with New Ventures, we launched Empodera 360 with support from VISA Foundation, The Case For Her,
Summit Foundation, Pro Mujer and Halloran Philanthropies. Empodera 360 seeks to understand the market in Latin
America for investing in women’s health ventures and catalyze capital toward high impact social businesses and
organizations working to improve and create greater access to women’s health sustainably, and at scale.

Identified market-based, impact
investment opportunities for
women’s health in Latin America.

Linked Foundation partnered with the William Davidson Institute’s healthcare team to
conduct a study to inform investment in women’s healthcare in Latin America in the hopes its
findings would help move the field forward in the area of women's health and prompt
collaboration with other funders and investors.

View the Report

Partnered to meet the needs of
low-income women and their
children in Mexico.

Reina Madre is a network of women’s health clinics in Mexico focused on meeting the needs of
low-income women and their children. Reina Madre provides obstetrics and gynecology services
with an emphasis on cancer screening, prenatal support services, labor and delivery, and post-natal
care for women and newborns.