In May, the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs announced that its new Advancing Women’s Empowerment Fund will offer grants to eight organizations. With support from the US Agency for International Development and the Visa Foundation, the $1.2 million fund will target the finance gap for women-led small and growing businesses in South and Southeast Asia. Each winner will receive up to $150,000 over one year. The proposed projects span the region: BoP Innovation Center and One to Watch will increase investment-ready businesses in Myanmar; MIT’s D-Lab will tackle the investment gap in India; the Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship and CaterpillHERS will build investment readiness for businesses in Pakistan; SHE Investments will create a pipeline of investment-ready enterprises in Cambodia; Value for Women will strengthen access to finance and business-development services for enterprises in Myanmar, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam; Village Capital will test revenue-based financing on fundraising outcomes for businesses in India; Villgro Philippines will provide businesses with access to capital, capacity, mentorship, and investors; and the Women’s Initiative for Startups and Entrepreneurship will address the gap in seed funding for businesses in Vietnam.
To learn more about the Advancing Women’s Empowerment Fund, go to andeglobal.org/page/awef