India First Round Winners Announced
The SheConnects Digital Accelerator, a joint initiative of the Reliance Foundation and the Gates Foundation, has achieved two major milestones in India with the announcement of six non-profit organizations selected in Round 1, which together will reach nearly one million women, and the launch of the Request for Applications for the next round of grants.
The announcements were made in Delhi on Wednesday, bringing together key stakeholders from government, academia, philanthropy, civil society and technology ecosystems.
SheConnects Digital Accelerator: India aims to advance women’s digital inclusion by scaling proven, high-impact solutions that enable women and girls to fully participate in the digital world, improving their lives and livelihoods. The accelerator aims to catalyze innovative partnerships, strengthen evidence of what works, foster south-south learning and help shape a more inclusive digital ecosystem. GSMA Foundation will support the selected awardees in India with capacity-building boot camps and peer-to-peer learning, as well as technical support to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the digital solutions and programs the awardees have created for women.
Speaking at the event, Ms. Deepthi Reddy, Head of Women Empowerment, Reliance Foundation, elaborated on the Accelerator’s vision for India and officially announced the opening of Round 2. “Empowering women with the tools and confidence to fully participate in the digital world is essential for a more equitable future. When empowered women are at the center, they drive more of their own journeys and catalyze transformation in society. At Reliance Foundation, it has been our long-standing commitment to identify and drive scale-up. We are excited to welcome the first group of our valued partners who offer unique ideas to advance this mission together,” he said.
Ms. Saachi Bhalla, Deputy Director of Gender Equality at the Gates Foundation, added the perspectives of the Gates Foundation. “The SheConnects Digital Accelerator represents a significant opportunity for nonprofits to develop and scale solutions that advance women’s meaningful digital engagement, while generating practical evidence that can inform efforts in India and the Global South. Ultimately, the success of digital transformation will be measured not by the complexity of our technologies, but by whether they improve people’s lives. Through the SheConnects Digital Accelerator, we have the opportunity to ensure innovation is both inclusive and impactful,” he said.
After a rigorous evaluation process, six non-profit organizations were selected for the first grant round with a collective commitment of INR 25.84 billion for this round to deploy evidence-based digital solutions across India. In total, the Round 1 portfolio is expected to impact approximately one million people.
The initiative’s donors include Project Concern International (PCI) India, which promotes economic resilience and digital agency for rural women through the government-backed ‘EmpowerHer’ platform in Odisha; MS Swaminathan Research Foundation to increase participation of coastal fishermen in five states through digital skills and post-harvest facilities; Myna Mahila Foundation leverages Myna Bolo chatbot to expand last-mile access to healthcare; Soochnapreneur Business Mitras and Digital Empowerment Foundation to support rural women entrepreneurs through one-stop centers in four states; Association for the Support of Inclusive and Relevant Education (ASPIRE), which combines shared infrastructure with community-based education for women in four states; and Chaitanya to equip self-help group (SHG) members with digital skills to navigate restrictive social practices and unlock economic advancement.
SheConnects Digital Accelerator also announced the opening of applications for the Second Round, inviting Indian non-profit organizations to apply for funding where each selected grantee will be eligible to receive grants of up to INR 4.2 billion per project. The fund is designed for projects lasting 15 to 18 months, targeting post-pilot, scale-up solutions with high potential for scalability and sustainability.
The accelerator is looking for innovative, women-centered designs that combine technology (such as artificial intelligence, chatbots, and regional language tools) with behavior change communications. The initiative also envisions sharing research and insights from the results of these initiatives to inform the broader ecosystem.
In addition to the grants, the selected organizations will be part of specialist training camps, technical MEL support and learning exchanges.
Applications must be submitted in English through a two-step online process on the official application portal by 04 September 2026 at 23:59 IST.
