Applications are invited for the Reliance Foundation WomenLeaders India Fellowship 2024-25. The last date of application is July 28.
About the Fellowship
Women’s leadership in India is pivotal to drive social and economic progress. From grassroots to governance, women are catalysts for change. Embracing their leadership fosters inclusivity, equity, and sustainability, crucial for India’s prosperity. India’s G20 presidency marked a significant shift in the global conversation on gender equality placing a strong emphasis on “women-led development” rather than just “women’s development”, prioritizing areas like digital access and entrepreneurship to empower women as agents of global progress.
In line with this vision, the WomenLeaders India Fellowship powered by Reliance Foundation and Vital Voices invests in extraordinary social sector women leaders and social entrepreneurs to drive an ambitious, urgent agenda for women’s leadership in India. Launched in 2022, the Fellowship aims to empower women leaders in the social sector with the knowledge, skills, and network necessary to spearhead transformational changes in society.
Through leadership development workshops, mentorship opportunities, and industry exposure, the programme helps social sector leaders and social entrepeneurs to refine their vision, build their capacity and accelerate their impact.
Overview of the Fellowship
Applications are now open for the next WomenLeaders India Fellowship. Selected Fellows will start the programme in September 2024. Over ten months, the Fellowship aims to empower 50 exceptional women leaders from across India, each dedicated to driving transformative change within their communities.
The cohort of social sector women leaders and social entrepreneurs will be selected basis their groundbreaking work in one of the following areas: Climate Resilience (including Disaster Risk Reduction), Sports for Development, Education (by strengthening early childhood care and education or addressing foundational literacy and numeracy), or Livelihood Generation at the grassroots. Through the programme, Fellows will also be expected to work on their own innovative project aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) , for which they will also benefit from mentor and peer support.
The Fellowship utilizes a participant-centred approach, adapting and innovating the programme curriculum to address the needs of each cohort, focusing on knowledge and skills to achieve their goals and drive forward their community impact. The programme will include a blend of virtual webinars and community gatherings focused on leadership and skills development with leading Indian and international experts.
The training is designed to ultimately strengthen the leadership of the WomenLeaders India Fellows and increase the success of their ventures and efforts.The programme will commence and culminate with in-person gatherings. In the final gathering, Fellows will present their impactful projects aligned with the SDGs and selected winning projects will receive a grant award to help scale their project further.
Focus Areas
The WomenLeaders India Fellows 2024 will be selected on the basis of their experience as social sector leaders or social entrepeneurs in one of the following key thematic areas:
- Education
- Climate Resilience
- Sports for Development
- Livelihoods Generation
Eligibility
- Women leaders in the social sector or social entrepreneurs
- Indian nationals working and living in India
- Having 5 years of work experience in the space of livelihood generation, education, climate resilience or sports for all
- Are enthusiastic about participating in 10-month fellowship
- Able to dedicate 6-8 hours of a month to their professional development
- Available to participate in an in person symposium being hosted in Mumbai on the 13th and 14th of September
- Employees of the Reliance group of companies, Reliance Foundation, and Vital Voices Global Part
Key Features
How to Apply?
Interested candidates can apply online via this page.
