Tigerlily Foundation Named an Action for Women's Health Awardee**

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Tigerlily Foundation has been announced as one of the 80+ organizations awarded funding through *Action for Women's Health, a $250 million global open call launched in 2024 to support organizations working to improve women's mental and physical health worldwide.

Although women make up half of the world's population, they continue to face inequities across nearly every aspect of healthcare. Women's health is chronically underfunded and under-researched, and even when resources or solutions do exist, they often fail to reach the women who need them most.

About Tigerlily Foundation's Work

Tigerlily Foundation is a national nonprofit committed to educating, empowering, and advocating for young women before, during, and after a cancer diagnosis. Founded nearly two decades ago by CEO and President Maimah Karmo—a breast cancer survivor who started the organization as a single mother while undergoing chemotherapy—Tigerlily has become a powerful force for systemic change in women's health.

Through programs such as the ANGEL Advocacy Program, which in one year recruited more than 400 young women to educate and empower as trusted community voices, their health literacy work in vulnerable communities, the ONE in a MILLION campaign that is aimed at reaching 2.1 million individuals about clinical trials, clinical trial engagement initiatives, the POWER Center that places patient voices at the center of research, and their programs focusing on bridging the gaps in science, Tigerlily advances health equity, eliminates barriers to care, and ensures that women—especially women of color and those historically underserved—have access, voice, and agency throughout their healthcare journey.

"What I know for sure is this: when I sat in that doctor's office at 32 years old, hearing the words 'you have breast cancer,' I didn't just face a diagnosis—I faced a system that wasn't built for someone like me," - Maimah Karmo, CEO and President of Tigerlily Foundation. "As a single mother undergoing chemotherapy, I experienced firsthand the isolation, the fear, and the gaps in care that young women—especially women of color—fall through every single day. But in my darkest moments, between treatment sessions and caring for my child, I made a choice: this pain would have purpose. This struggle would spark a movement.

"Tigerlily Foundation was born not in a boardroom, but in the trenches of my own focus on survival. I founded this organization while in treatment because I knew that no young woman should ever feel as alone as I did, that patient care should be centered on lived experience and have direct benefits for patients – at the right times throughout their journey. For nearly two decades, we've been building something revolutionary: a movement where patients aren't just recipients of care, but architects of change – and now, we are poised to force multiply on another level.

"Real change doesn't come from the top down; it rises from communities who refuse to accept anything less than equity and dignity for all. Now, as an Action for Women's Health Awardee, we stand at an inflection point. This $250 million global investment—selecting us from over 4,000 organizations across 119 countries—isn't just funding. It's validation that patient-centered, community-rooted solutions work. This investment will lead to scalability, sustainability and systems change. It's proof that when you invest in women, especially women who've been historically underserved and underfunded, you don't just change individual lives—you transform entire systems.

"We have the power, the purpose, and now the resources to ensure that no woman is left behind. The question isn't whether we can build a healthcare system that nurtures wellness, celebrates resilience, and delivers true equity—it's whether we will. And I believe, with every fiber of my being, that together, we will."

More than 4,000 organizations from 119 countries applied, offering solutions across the lifespan for women. After a rigorous peer and expert review, 80+ organizations—many of whom have historically lacked access to major funding streams—were selected. This investment will fuel real, measurable impact for women across geographies, life stages, and identities.

Action for Women's Health* is funded by Pivotal, a group of impact organizations founded by Melinda French Gates, and managed by **Lever for Change, an organization known for elevating bold ideas that tackle the world's most pressing challenges.

More information about the initiative and awardees is available at: 

https://leverforchange.org/open-calls/action-for-womens-health

Action for Women's Health is funded by Pivotal, a group of impact organizations founded by Melinda French Gates, and managed by Lever for Change, an organization known for elevating bold ideas that tackle the world's most pressing challenges.

More information about the initiative and awardees is available at:
https://leverforchange.org/open-calls/action-for-womens-health

Organization Contact:
Dinisha Govender
[email protected]

SOURCE TIGERLILY FOUNDATION