Facebook India launches the second phase of Facebook Pragati, welcomes applications from women-led non-profits

Announcing the second year of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative Facebook Pragati, Facebook India invited applications from women-led non-profit organizations. Launched in 2020, the initiative to boost women’s empowerment was floated in partnership with The/Nudge Centre for Social Innovation.

Facebook Pragati will act as an incubator program for early-stage, non-profit organizations focused on women-related issues such as entrepreneurship, technology, and health. Last year, four such organizations were chosen out of 1,326 applicants and they received grants and mentoring for 6-12 months. The initiative proved to be a success with the onset of the pandemic. While the non-profit sector was hit by the growing shortage of funds and grants, the four women-led non-profits performed exceptionally well, tripling their annual revenues in FY2021.

The main aim of Facebook Pragati is to foster entrepreneurship among Indian women and encourage them to adopt the technology. The first drive was eligible to all non-profits less than three years old with at least one woman founder. In addition, the organizations were expected to present viable plans to promote the initiative’s end goals.

Facebook Pragati Offers for No-Profits

This year, six grants of up to Rs 50 lakhs each will be made available through Facebook Pragati. The selected non-profit applicants can then use the money to scale up their operations. Additionally, each non-profit will also receive:

• Mentorship – Industry experts who have a wealth of experience in setting up and running organizations will act as mentors to these organizations. This will help the non-profits to break through various barriers and scale up their operations.
• Fund Raising – Facebook Pragati will also work towards improving fundraising strategies of non-profit through multiple techniques like audience targeting and engaging storytelling.
• Organizational Capacity Building – Second-tier capacity building will be a major area of focus for the program. Marketing, HR, and technology will be the areas of focus for capacity building. This will also allow for comprehensive development and promote the strategic growth of the organization.

Commenting on the initiative, Ajit Mohan, VP, and MD, Facebook India, said that the program has been a huge success and the second chapter of Facebook Pragati will strive to build on it. “We are now thrilled to announce the second phase of it and await more such exciting organizations to be a part of this initiative with Nudge Foundation and us,” he concluded.