Reliance Foundation, Gates Foundation announce first SheConnects Digital Accelerator grantees
New Delhi, July 16 (TNT): Reliance Foundation and the Gates Foundation on Thursday announced the first cohort of six non-profit organisations selected under the SheConnects Digital Accelerator: India, an initiative aimed at advancing women’s digital inclusion, while launching applications for the second round of grants.
The announcement was made at an event in New Delhi attended by representatives from government, academia, philanthropy, civil society and the technology sector.
The initiative seeks to scale proven digital solutions that enable women and girls to participate meaningfully in the digital economy, improve livelihoods and strengthen digital inclusion.
The GSMA Foundation will support selected organisations through capacity-building programmes, technical assistance and peer-learning initiatives.
Reliance Foundation Chief(Women Empowerment) Deepthi Reddy said empowering women with digital tools and confidence was critical to building a more equitable future.
She said the foundation was committed to identifying and scaling transformative solutions and expressed confidence that the first cohort of partners would help drive the mission forward.
Gates Foundation Deputy Director (Gender Equality) Saachi Bhalla said the accelerator would help non-profit organisations develop and scale solutions that promote meaningful digital inclusion while generating evidence to inform similar initiatives across India and the Global South.
Following a competitive evaluation process, six non-profit organisations were selected under the first round of grants, with a collective funding commitment of ₹25.84 crore.
The projects are expected to benefit nearly one million women across the country.
The selected organisations are Project Concern International (PCI) India, M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, Myna Mahila Foundation, Digital Empowerment Foundation, A Society for Promotion of Inclusive and Relevant Education (ASPIRE) and Chaitanya. Their projects focus on improving digital literacy, healthcare access, entrepreneurship, livelihood opportunities and economic empowerment for women through technology-enabled interventions.
The organisers also invited applications for the second round of the accelerator. Eligible Indian non-profit organisations can apply for grants of up to ₹4.2 crore per project for initiatives lasting 15 to 18 months.
According to the organisers, the accelerator is looking for scalable, women-centric digital solutions that combine technologies such as artificial intelligence, chatbots and regional language tools with behaviour change communication strategies.
In addition to financial support, selected organisations will receive technical monitoring and evaluation assistance, expert bootcamps and opportunities for knowledge-sharing and collaboration. Applications for the second round will close on September 4, 2026.
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