Male Contraceptive Initiative
Reproductive Autonomy for All.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Across the world unintended pregnancy is still widespread, with over eighty five million unplanned pregnancies (approximately 40% of all pregnancies) occurring in 2012. In a recent publication, Male Contraceptive Initiative-led researchers found through mathematical modeling, that the deployment of a male contraceptive would lead to more shared family planning and fewer unintended pregnancies in the U.S. and Africa. Yet, innovations in male birth control have remained stagnant for decades. As one researcher notes, “We've been five years away from male contraception for the last fifty years."
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Research Support
MCI directly funds research into the development of novel non-hormonal male contraceptives by supporting academic labs, young researchers, start-ups, and pharmaceutical companies through a robust grant-making practice. In addition, equity investments are available to more mature programs, with returns tapped for reinvested into the product development pipeline.
MCI's highly qualified staff, working in conjunction with our research committee of subject matter experts, carefully vet proposals and fellowship applications to ensure that programs and investigators with the greatest potential for impact are given an opportunity to succeed. We welcome high-risk investments understanding that they may offer the greatest impact.
MCI works diligently to allocate the largest percent possible of funds raised directly to our grantmaking and advocacy efforts with the goal of getting new methods of non-hormonal male contraception to market as quickly and safely as possible.
Market Research
MCI performs market research to better understand the attitudes of men and women towards male contraceptives, and to dispel the conjecture around the acceptability of male contraceptives. These data are used in our funding decisions, ultimately guiding contraceptives that have the best chance to succeed through the pipeline.
Where we work
External reviews

Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Average grant amount
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Research Support
Type of Metric
Other - describing something else
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
MCI assesses the needs of the field through responses to calls for proposals & engagement with researchers. Our annual grants vary from single, large to smaller, seed-funding grants to travel grants.
Total dollar amount of grants awarded
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Research Support
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
MCI assesses the needs of the field through responses to calls for proposals & engagement with researchers. Our annual grants vary from single, large to smaller, seed-funding grants to travel grants.
Total number of grants awarded
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Research Support
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of research studies funded
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Research Support
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of organizations applying for grants
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Research Support
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
MCI assesses the needs of the field through responses to calls for proposals & engagement with researchers. Our annual grants vary from single, large to smaller, seed-funding grants to travel grants.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Male Contraceptive Initiative seeks a choice-maximized, inclusive world where men and women have access to the contraceptive options that fit their lifestyle. We envision a menu of contraceptives with characteristics that range from on-demand contraceptives to long acting, set it and forget it methods.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We fund researchers working on a variety of early-stage methods who just need a little help. Using the expertise of our scientific advisors, we strategize and ensure that we have a broad impact that moves the whole field of male contraception forward one step at a time.
Additionally, we educate the public and help regular people understand that men are interested in contraception, and want to take a larger role in the conversation.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Male Contraceptive Initiative is staffed by researchers and public health professionals with passion and expertise. Our board is comprised of world-class urologists and former researchers with combined decades of experience in the field of male contraception. Additionally, our scientific advisors provide nuanced viewpoints into the field and where our efforts can make the most impact. We work with startups, academic institutions, and other entities and are able to objectively help researchers push towards their next big goal.
Our nonprofit model is eminiently scalable, and as our funding grows, we have detailed plans for funding models that not only fund bench science, but create enthusiasm in the field and support young researchers.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
MCI has awarded over $3M in funding since 2017, and has also sponsored researchers in the field with fellowships and travel grants. We’ve published a paper in the prestigious journal Contraception that details the impact of a male contraceptive on the unintended pregnancy rate, and make appearances in worldwide media outlets such as The Guardian, NPR, Scientific American, Bloomberg, and VOGUE.
As we expand our programs, we're funding more exciting research that pushes promising work towards clinical and animal trials. We also will continue to work with the research community to highlight male contraception, and make this topic a central focus. Finally, to address global misconceptions around men’s attitudes towards contraception, we will expand on our market research data to understand more about how men and their partners would use and feel about male contraception.
Financials
Unlock nonprofit financial insights that will help you make more informed decisions. Try our monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights?
Learn more
about GuideStar Pro.
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Male Contraceptive Initiative
Board of directorsas of 04/06/2023
Ms. Connie Moreadith
Carolyn Jenkins
Gregory Kopf
Michael Rusnak
Karen Blyth
Connie Moreadith
R. E. Ted Benson
Pat Sadate-Ngatchou
John DeCaro
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
-
Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Not applicable -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.