Women in the Digital Economy Fund (WiDEF) 2025 (up to $100,000) Deadline: 13 January, 2025

Applications are open for the Women in the Digital Economy Fund (WiDEF) 2025. 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.

Benefits

• 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.

Eligibility

• 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 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.

Application

Ensure your application is submitted by January 13, 2025, at 6 PM India Standard Time.

Click here to apply

For more information, visit WiDEF