ImpactAlpha, June 1 – ANDE’s Advancing Women’s Empowerment Fund, backed by USAID and the Visa Foundation, sought innovative ways to bridge the estimated $320 billion annual gap in access to finance for women-led small and growing businesses in developing countries.
Eight winning programs, out of more than 180 applicants, will each receive up to $150,000 in grant funding to pilot new initiatives in South and Southeast Asia. The winners include: MIT’s D-Lab and Village Capital for initiative in India; Santa Clara University’s Miller Center for a Pakistan-focused initiative; Cambodia-focused SHE Investments; Villgro Philippines; Vietnam-focused Women’s Initiative for Startups and Entrepreneurship; Myanmar-focused partners BoP Innovation Center and One to Watch; and Southeast Asia-focused Value for Women.
