The WomenLeaders India Fellowship is a leadership-development programme run by Reliance Foundation and Vital Voices Global Partnership. It supports 50 women leaders from India’s social sector and social enterprises working in climate resilience, sports for development, education, or livelihoods generation.
The 10-month programme combines virtual learning and mentoring with opening and closing gatherings in India. The latest published call was for 2024–25 and is now closed; no later application cycle is stated on the official pages.
Benefits & funding
- Participation has no cost and is described by the organisers as fully funded.
- Fellows receive three webinars per month over eight months, five community gatherings, five individual mentoring sessions, a monthly mentoring circle, and eight thematic sessions.
- The programme includes two in-person gatherings in India and access to the Vital Voices Community Hub and the Reliance Foundation ecosystem.
- Fellows pitch their SDG-aligned projects at the final gathering, where selected projects may receive a grant; no grant amount is published.
Eligibility
- Applicants must identify as women, be Indian nationals, and be living and working in India.
- The 2024–25 Reliance Foundation call required five years of work in livelihoods generation, education, climate resilience, or sports for development; the Vital Voices page separately lists a three-year general minimum, so applicants should follow the cycle-specific call.
- Applicants must have at least intermediate English, decision-making authority, capacity to devote six to eight hours per month, and an SDG or social-impact project idea to develop during the fellowship.
- Social Entrepreneur track applicants must lead or make key decisions in an India-based qualifying business or social enterprise with at least three full-time-equivalent staff and five years of operation.
- Social Sector Leader track applicants must spearhead relevant programmes; their organisation must be registered with the Government of India and have at least a three-year track record.
- Employees of Reliance group companies, Reliance Foundation, and Vital Voices Global Partnership are ineligible.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
Eligible nationalities
India
Residence required
India
Experience required
≥ 5 yrs
Gender requirement
Female
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Application process
- 1Complete and submit the official online application by the stated deadline.
- 2An expert panel reviews and shortlists applications in early August.
- 3The organisers announce 50 fellows by the end of August.
- 4Selected fellows begin with an in-person symposium in Mumbai.
Program timeline
July 1, 2024
The 2024–25 application call was announced.
Information sessions were scheduled.
July 10 and July 17, 2024
Applications closed.
July 28, 2024, 11:59 p.m. IST
Expert-panel review and shortlisting.
Early August 2024
Cohort announcement.
End of August 2024
Opening in-person symposium in Mumbai.
September 13–14, 2024
Ten months after the programme began
The fellowship concludes with a second in-person gathering; the official pages do not publish an exact end date.