Applications Invited for WiDEF India Round 2024

Follow us@ngobox

About the Organization

The Women in the Digital Economy Fund (WiDEF) identifies, funds and accelerates evidence-based solutions to close the gender digital divide, improving women’s livelihoods, economic security, and resilience.

Ensuring all women and girls have equitable, affordable access to digital technology spurs economic growth, improves development outcomes, and has the power to lift millions out of poverty.

About the Grant

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

The following support will be provided to awardees:

• 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

Applicants must clearly articulate how their solutions accelerate the digital inclusion of women, addressing the gender digital divide.

This includes enabling equitable access and usage of the internet by women, girls and marginalized populations including people with disabilities, scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, LGBTQI+, and rural women.

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 WiDEF 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.

How to Apply

The deadline for submitting proposals is Monday, 13th January 2025.

Apply now

For more information please check the Link

Stay in the loop with the newest RFPs and Grants through NGOBOX's WhatsApp Channel. Join now by clicking here!

Tags Innovations and Technology Skill Development Women Empowerment Others