Mumbai: The Harish & Bina Shah Foundation (HBSF) has committed ₹100 crore over five years to strengthen girls’ education in India through a renewed partnership with non-profit Educate Girls. The grant will fund the organisation’s Vidya program, which focuses on in-school girls aged 6–14, and Pragati, a second-chance program for adolescent girls and young women aged 15–29. Both initiatives form part of Educate Girls’ Strategy 3.0.
The collaboration aims to support over 3.1 million learners by combining last-mile enrolment with system-level improvements. Educate Girls has set a longer-term target of reaching 10 million learners in the coming decade.
HBSF has previously supported the Pragati program since 2023–24, contributing to program design, outreach expansion, and technical assistance for state open school processes. With this renewed support, the foundation becomes a key domestic anchor donor for Educate Girls’ Strategy 3.0.
Bina Shah, Executive Director, HBSF, said, “It is difficult to influence mindsets and create pathways for girls and women in general, let alone with a focus on difficult geographies. At HBSF, we admire the courage and commitment that Educate Girls has shown in navigating complex societal issues with a focus on ground realities and strong systems & processes. By taking this partnership forward, we hope that our support adds to the value of investing in long-term change and brings to the forefront the significant lack of access and opportunities faced by millions of girls in India today.”
Gayatri Nair Lobo, CEO, Educate Girls, said, “The unrestricted nature of this grant gives us the flexibility to truly strengthen both our Vidya and Pragati programs over the next five years. With Vidya, we will continue ensuring out-of-school girls aged 6–14 are enrolled, retained, and supported to build strong foundations of literacy and numeracy in some of India’s hardest-to-reach communities. At the same time, Pragati will expand across high-need states, partnering with state governments and Open School systems and creating pathways for adolescent girls and young women to complete their secondary education and access future opportunities. Taken together, this support allows us to continue partnering with state governments and grassroots organisations to bring education to millions of girls in remote, rural regions.”
Educate Girls has worked across 30,000 villages with more than 55,000 community volunteers, enrolling over 2 million girls and supporting 2.4 million children in remedial learning since its inception. Under Strategy 3.0 (2025–30), the organisation plans to drive systemic change through state partnerships while focusing on access for the most at-risk girls and women.
This renewed partnership between HBSF and Educate Girls is expected to accelerate progress towards bridging education gaps for millions of girls in rural India.
BI Bureau
