Red drop LAB.FUND
RED DROP LAB · FUND
RED DROP LAB FUND
Women make up roughly half of humanity, yet major areas of women’s health remain under-researched and underfunded.
There is no single number that captures the whole gap. Different datasets measure different things: female-specific conditions, women’s cancers, maternal health, sex differences, broader women’s-health research, global-health R&D or pharmaceutical pipelines.
So we will not use one dramatic statistic without telling you what it actually measures.
R&D FUNDING
These figures are not additive and they are not directly comparable. That is the point: each measures a different slice of women’s-health R&D.
McKinsey analysed approximately US$198 billion of clinical-phase biopharma R&D spending. Around 4% was associated with women’s cancers and only around 1% with all other female-specific conditions — roughly US$7.9bn and US$2.0bn respectively. Source ↗
Impact Global Health recorded US$706 million specifically classified as women’s health in 2024 — a record in that tracker. It is a narrower global-health dataset, not all biomedical R&D worldwide. Source ↗
The NIH was estimated to spend about US$4.6 billion on women’s-health research in FY2024 — around 10% of its Congressional appropriation — and about US$5.0bn in FY2025. Source ↗
The US National Academies recommended US$15.71 billion in new funding over five years for women’s health, sex-differences research and workforce development. This is a recommendation, not money already spent. Source ↗
In 2025 the Gates Foundation committed US$2.5 billion through 2030 to advance more than 40 innovations across five chronically underfunded women’s-health areas. Source ↗
Do not add these figures together: they come from different scopes, definitions and years.
THE SCALE OF ONE.
The potential scale is not “4 billion people × US$1”. One rupee, one yen, one franc and one dollar have very different values. That difference is part of the idea.
ONE LOCAL UNIT
Below are approximate US-dollar equivalents of one local currency unit using ECB reference rates dated 24 August 2026. Exchange rates move; these are illustrations, not transaction rates. Source ↗
| One | Currency | Approx. US$ value |
|---|---|---|
| £1 | Pound sterling | ≈ US$1.36 |
| CHF 1 | Swiss franc | ≈ US$1.25 |
| €1 | Euro | ≈ US$1.17 |
| $1 | US dollar | ≈ US$1.00 |
| R$1 | Brazilian real | ≈ US$0.194 |
| CN¥1 | Chinese yuan | ≈ US$0.149 |
| MX$1 | Mexican peso | ≈ US$0.0591 |
| ₹1 | Indian rupee | ≈ US$0.0104 |
| ¥1 | Japanese yen | ≈ US$0.00628 |
| Rp1 | Indonesian rupiah | ≈ US$0.0000564 |
Actual donation platform currencies: CHF · EUR · USD · GBP
A MODEL, NOT A PROMISE
Rather than pretend we already have a perfect country-by-country forecast, this table shows transparent scenarios using the 3.04 billion population aged 15+ and three possible average contribution values.
| Participation | People | If average ≈ $0.25 | If average ≈ $0.50 | If average ≈ $1.00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.01% | ~304,000 | ~$76,000 | ~$152,000 | ~$304,000 |
| 0.1% | ~3.04 million | ~$760,000 | ~$1.52 million | ~$3.04 million |
| 1% | ~30.4 million | ~$7.6 million | ~$15.2 million | ~$30.4 million |
| 5% | ~152 million | ~$38 million | ~$76 million | ~$152 million |
| 10% | ~304 million | ~$76 million | ~$152 million | ~$304 million |
These are modelling scenarios, not fundraising forecasts. They do not say that everyone can, should or will give. Actual amounts depend on where participants live, local currencies, exchange rates, payment access, platform fees and participation.
We intend to publish a fuller country-by-country “one local currency unit” model as the project develops. The method will be simple and checkable: female population × one local currency unit × exchange rate, country by country.
ACCESS
Around 376 million women and girls are estimated to live in extreme poverty. If one unit of your currency matters to your food, housing, health or family, keep it. You can still pass the idea on. This is about what becomes possible when people who can participate choose to do so.
HOW IT WORKS
Give one unit — or more if you choose. The idea is participation, not the size of one person’s contribution.
Challenge three people. One can become three, three can become nine. There is no guarantee it will travel. That is the experiment.
Post it if you want to. Show your currency, tell people why you joined, or simply send the link privately to three people.
MONEY TODAY
At this stage, contributions are collected through a dedicated pot hosted by HappyPot, a Swiss money-pot platform. HappyPot says contributions can be made from any country. Source ↗
HappyPot currently charges a 4.5% commission when collected funds are transferred out of the pot. Participation by TWINT or bank transfer is listed as free; card participation may carry a commission charged by the card company. Source ↗
HappyPot currently allows pots in CHF, EUR, USD and GBP, with one currency per pot. The worldwide “one local currency unit” section above is therefore a model of global participation — not a claim that the current payment page can collect every national currency as a separate one-unit payment. Source ↗
GOVERNANCE
Red Drop Lab Fund was initiated by Red Drop Lab SARL, Aubonne, Switzerland. Today it is a fundraising initiative operated by Red Drop Lab SARL. It is not yet a separately constituted tax-exempt foundation.
As the Fund grows, our intention is to establish an appropriate formal and independent structure for long-term governance. We are deliberately not promising today that a specific legal structure already exists when it does not.
Before the first funding allocations are made, we intend to publish:
Any relationship involving Red Drop Lab SARL, its founders, shareholders or other related parties will be disclosed and handled under the Fund’s published governance and conflict-of-interest rules. A serious Fund may eventually require paid people to run it; if that happens, operating costs and remuneration will be disclosed transparently and governed by the applicable structure.
TRANSPARENCY
We intend to publish a simple public record: money in → platform and operating costs → net money available → money allocated → recipient → purpose → decision. This page is the beginning of that record, not the finished version of it.
LEGAL STATUS
Do not assume so. Red Drop Lab Fund is currently a fundraising initiative operated by Red Drop Lab SARL, not a separately constituted tax-exempt charitable foundation. Tax treatment depends on your jurisdiction. If the legal status changes, we will publish that change clearly.
GUINNESS APPLICATION
We have submitted an application for a Guinness World Records™ title attempt for the most money ever raised for women's health research. There's no time window — this is about the total raised, however long it takes. Applied for. Not awarded. If the attempt is accepted and formally scheduled, the rules, timing and details will be published here.
FAQ
METHODOLOGY
Numbers are useful only when you know what they measure. These are the principal sources used on this page. Population totals are calculated by summing UNICEF/UN female age-group projections for 2025; currency equivalents are derived from ECB reference rates dated 24 August 2026.