Founded originally as the Measles Initiative in 2001, it changed its name to the Measles & Rubella Initiative in 2012 when rubella was added to the mission. With the addition of new partners in 2023, the initiative was rebranded as the Measles & Rubella Partnership. The Partnership is led by the American Red Cross, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Gavi the Vaccine Alliance, the United Nations Foundation, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF and the World Health Organization.