THEBUSINESSBYTES
BUREAU
NEW
DELHI, JULY 16, 2026
Reliance Foundation
and the Gates Foundation on Wednesday announced the first cohort of six
non-profit organisations selected under the SheConnects
Digital Accelerator: India, a joint initiative aimed at advancing women's
digital inclusion through scalable, high-impact solutions. The selected
organisations are expected to collectively reach nearly one million women
across the country.
The announcement was
made in New Delhi along with the launch of the second round of grant applications,
inviting Indian non-profits to submit proposals for innovative digital
inclusion projects.
The SheConnects Digital Accelerator: India
aims to advance women's meaningful participation in the digital economy by
scaling proven solutions that enable women and girls to participate fully in
the digital world, improving their lives and livelihoods. The initiative seeks
to catalyse innovative partnerships, strengthen evidence on what works, foster
South-South learning, and help build a more inclusive digital ecosystem. The
GSMA Foundation will support selected awardees through capacity-building
bootcamps, peer-to-peer learning, and technical assistance to improve the
effectiveness and efficiency of digital solutions and programmes designed for
women.
Speaking at the
event, Deepthi Reddy, Chief – Women Empowerment, Reliance Foundation, detailed
the Accelerator's vision for India and officially announced the opening of
Round 2. "Empowering women with tools and confidence to participate fully
in the digital world is essential to a more equitable future. When empowered
women are at the centre, they drive more than their own journey and catalyse
transformation in society. At Reliance Foundation, it has been our
long-standing commitment to identify and encourage scale-up of transformative
solutions. We are excited to welcome the first cohort of our valuable partners
who bring unique ideas for driving this mission forward together," she
said.
Saachi Bhalla, Deputy
Director – Gender Equality, Gates Foundation, added perspectives from the Gates
Foundation. “The SheConnects Digital Accelerator represents an important
opportunity for non-profit organizations to develop and scale solutions that
advance women’s meaningful digital inclusion, while generating practical
evidence that can inform efforts across India and the Global South. Ultimately,
the success of digital transformation will not be measured by the
sophistication of our technologies, but by whether they improve people’s lives.
Through the SheConnects Digital Accelerator, we have an opportunity to ensure
that innovation is both inclusive and impactful,” she said.
Following a rigorous
evaluation process, six non-profit organisations were selected for the
inaugural round of grants, with a collective funding commitment of INR 25.84
crore. Together, the projects are expected to benefit nearly one million people
by deploying evidence-based digital solutions across India.
The selected
organisations are Project Concern International (PCI) India, which will strengthen
the economic resilience and digital agency of rural women through its
government-backed EmpowerHer platform in Odisha; the M. S. Swaminathan Research
Foundation, which will enhance the agency of coastal fisherwomen across five
states through digital skills and post-harvest support; Myna Mahila Foundation,
which will expand last-mile healthcare access through its Myna Bolo chatbot;
the Digital Empowerment Foundation, which will support rural women
entrepreneurs through its Soochnapreneur Business Mitras network and one-stop
centres across four states; A Society for Promotion of Inclusive and Relevant
Education (ASPIRE), which will combine shared digital infrastructure with
community-based training for women across four states; and Chaitanya, which
will equip members of self-help groups (SHGs) with digital skills to help them
overcome restrictive social practices and advance economically.
The initiative also
announced the opening of applications for the second round of grants, under
which selected Indian non-profits will be eligible for funding of up to INR 4.2
crore per project. The funding is intended for post-pilot, scale-stage
initiatives with strong potential for expansion and long-term sustainability
over a period of 15 to 18 months.
The Accelerator is
seeking innovative, women-centred solutions that combine technology, including
artificial intelligence (AI), chatbots and regional language tools, with
behaviour change communication strategies. It also aims to generate research
and share insights from supported projects to strengthen the broader digital
inclusion ecosystem.
In addition to grant
funding, selected organisations will receive expert mentoring through
bootcamps, technical monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) support, and
opportunities for peer learning and knowledge exchange.
Applications for the
second round will remain open until September 4, 2026, and must be submitted in
English through a two-stage online application process on the official SheConnects Digital Accelerator portal.
Additional information on the programme is available on the Reliance Foundation
website https://www.reliancefoundation.org/media/updates/SheConnects.
For further details,
interested organisations may contact the programme secretariat at [email protected] .
