Women in the Digital Economy Fund (WiDEF) 2025 (up to $100,000)

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About Women in the Digital Economy Fund

WiDEF invites local Indian entities to apply for funding to scale a solution that significantly enhances the digital inclusion of women, improving their livelihoods, economic security, and resilience. The fund is open to small or medium for-profits entities as well as non-profits with a valid FCRA.

This funding will scale solutions that:

• Drive digital inclusion for women through meaningful access to and use of accessible digital technology, particularly smartphones and the internet.
• Significantly close the gender digital divide in their context.
• Are economically sustainable and scalable.

• Sponsor Organisation: United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

Benefits of Women in the Digital Economy Fund

• Funding of $100,000 - $500,000 over the course of 15-18 months.
• Knowledge, expertise and best practices to address the gender digital divide.
• Bootcamps (a program of expert-led sessions and targeted networking) on key issues faced by awardees.
• Learning exchange opportunities with other WiDEF awardees (in India and globally).
• Advisory support on monitoring, evaluation and learning.
• Increased visibility to potential investors and partners.

Women in the Digital Economy Fund Requirements

• Open to Indian non-profits, as well as small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with the goal of scaling solutions that have the potential to significantly increase digital inclusion for women, improving women's livelihoods, economic security, and resilience.
• Entities may only submit one proposal.
• All applications must be submitted in English.

Eligible applicants must articulate the most prominent barriers facing the communities they aim to support and how they will address at least two of the four core WiDE priority areas:

• Access to Affordable Devices: Increase women's access to affordable, reliable, and secure internet-enabled devices.
• Relevant Products and Tools: Provide tools (interfaces, apps) that meet women's needs, especially for income generation.
• Digital Literacy and Skills: Enhance women's digital skills and media literacy for safe participation in the digital economy.
• Safety and Security: Address technology-facilitated gender-based violence and improve digital protection measures. Support solutions enhancing safety, even with limited evidence.

Plus contribute to:

• Data and Insights Commitment: Expand sex-disaggregated data collection and gender analysis to tackle disparities in technology adoption and inform equitable digital policies.

 

Application Date and Process

• Click on the link to the application website to apply.

Application Deadline

13 January, 2025

Scholarship Application Portal

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