Vision & Mission
Science & Scholarship for Social Change
Gates Institute, housed within a leading academic institution at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, has become a global leader in family planning science and scholarship with a long history of engaging and training tomorrow’s leaders.
A center of excellence and advancement in the field of family planning, reproductive health & population dynamics.
Founded with the mission of Scholarship and Science for Social Change, the Gates Institute has been a trailblazer for innovation in the fields of family planning, reproductive health, and population dynamics for more than 20 years.
Situated at the Department of Population, Family, and Reproductive Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, GI is uniquely positioned within a rigorous academic institution, has a strong network of global and country partners, and a track record of positive impact supporting local partner capacity, and translating science and evidence to policies, programs, and practice.
Vision
A future where scholarship and science improve health and transform lives at scale.
We envision a world where evidence-based policies, programs, and practices drive social change in SRHR, health, and development to save lives millions at a time.
Mission
We invest in bold ideas to unlock progress on family planning, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), and related health areas.
We cultivate new ways of thinking and doing to amplify locally led change. Together with local partners, we identify and act on ideas with the greatest promise to advance universal, equitable access to SRHR and enhance well-being.
Core Values
Equity
We believe all people should be treated equally and equitably. We therefore work within our sphere of influence to dismantle systems-level barriers that promote inequality across race, ethnicity, gender, class, ability, geographic location, and other categories of marginalization.
Internally, we strive to be an institution where all people – especially those who are historically marginalized, disenfranchised, or excluded – can thrive. Within this lies a focus on accessibility in terms of language justice for all partners with which we work.
Interdependence
We recognize the value of diversity in voices and ideas in advancing sustainable progress toward the Institute’s vision. We therefore work through a collaborative approach, focused on building a team-wide and partner-wide understanding of and focus on shared goals.
Internally, we cultivate an institutional culture of respect, trust, and mutual accountability as we work together for the greater good. As a US-based institution, we believe it is our job to listen, support, and amplify country-based work and stakeholders, leading only in specific areas where we have unique value-add, and balancing power and sharing credit along the way.
Excellence
We believe that evidence is a foundation for excellence. With this as our guide, we pursue solutions that achieve the greatest impact with the least resources.
Internally, we track and measure progress, and leverage learning and synergies across our work to multiply impact. We prioritize solutions that are informed by the most up-to-date data and local knowledge, plan for sustainability at the onset, and strive for scale to drive change for the most people.