Launched by US Vice President Kamala Harris in March 2023, WiDEF aims to economically empower women, improve their livelihoods, and enhance resilience by identifying, funding, and promoting solutions that support women’s economic advancement. In India, the initiative is a collaboration between USAID, BMGF, and Reliance Foundation, with the GSMA Foundation overseeing the project in conjunction with the global WiDEF consortium.

Reliance Foundation’s contribution will effectively double the available WiDEF funding in India, helping to fulfill the G20 Leaders’ commitment to reduce the digital gender gap by half by 2030. Additionally, the Foundation will assist in developing knowledge tools, sharing best practices, and supporting measurement and learning for WiDEF grantees based in India.

Isha Ambani, Director of Reliance Foundation, stated, “The Women in the Digital Economy Fund (WiDEF) represents a historic step towards achieving global collaboration for closing the gender digital divide by 2030, and we are proud to join as a Global Anchor Partner. We are dedicated to enhancing digital inclusion to improve women’s livelihoods, economic security, and resilience. Through WiDEF, we will work together to accelerate innovative solutions for empowering women through technology in India and share best practices globally for a more equitable future.”

Dr. Alexandria Huerta, Acting Mission Director of USAID/India, remarked, “As the United States and India collaborate to meet global development goals, closing the gender digital divide is vital for progress both in India and globally. USAID is proud to partner with Reliance Foundation through WiDEF to boost women’s economic empowerment.” She added that the partnership aims to empower millions of women across India, ensuring that the benefits of the digital economy are accessible to all.

This initiative builds on the existing collaboration between Reliance Foundation and USAID through the WomenConnect Challenge India, aimed at increasing women’s participation in daily life by transforming their access to technology. Launched in 2020, this challenge targets narrowing the gender digital divide for 600,000 women across India, having already selected 17 recipients focused on innovative, culturally relevant solutions that empower marginalized women through digital technologies.

Reliance Foundation is also working with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to support one million women entrepreneurs across various Indian states. Additionally, the Foundation, in partnership with Reliance Jio and GSMA, is implementing a nationwide Digital Skills Programme to train rural women and marginalized communities in maximizing their digital access.

The US government is similarly committed to advancing women’s economic empowerment and digital inclusion, creating opportunities for women entrepreneurs to enhance their digital skills, including financial literacy, to engage more fully in the formal economy. Best practices from India are being applied throughout South Asia, improving the digital capabilities of over 16,000 women entrepreneurs under the South Asia Regional Digital Initiative.

Since its launch in March 2023, the Women in the Digital Economy Fund (WiDEF) has garnered substantial support from a global consortium, which includes Reliance Foundation, USAID, and BMGF. Collectively, this consortium—comprising governments, private companies, foundations, civil society, and multilateral organizations—has committed more than $1.01 billion to accelerate gender digital equality.