Harish & Bina Shah Foundation renews partnership with Educate Girls, commits Rs 100 Cr
HBSF has renewed its partnership with Educate Girls to support its Vidya and Pragati programmes. The five‑year grant will support over 3.1 million learners, combining last‑mile enrolment with system strengthening.
The Harish & Bina Shah Foundation (HBSF) has renewed its partnership with Educate Girls, a non-profit, through an unrestricted grant of Rs 100 crore, to be disbursed over five years.
The funding will strengthen Vidya, an in-school programme for girls aged 6–14, and Pragati, a second-chance learning initiative for young women aged 15–29, as part of Strategy 3.0, which seeks to reach 10 million learners over the next decade.
Through this support, HBSF aims to enable Educate Girls to deliver a continuum of learning opportunities for girls and young women in some of India’s most underserved regions.
The Harish & Bina Shah Foundation (HBSF) has been a catalytic partner in Educate Girls’ Pragati programme since 2023–24. Its early support strengthened programme design, expanded outreach to thousands of learners, and streamlined state open school processes through technical assistance. With this new long-term commitment, HBSF now becomes a domestic anchor donor for Educate Girls’ Strategy 3.0—a sustainable, scalable model to transform India’s education landscape.
Since inception, Educate Girls has worked across 30,000+ villages with the support of 55,000+ community volunteers, enrolling more than 2 million girls and helping 2.4 million children improve in remedial learning.
Through Strategy 3.0 (2025–30), the organisation aims to reach 10 million learners, advancing systemic reform in partnership with governments while ensuring last-mile access for the girls and young women most at risk of being left behind.
“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,” said Bina Shah, Executive Director, HBSF.
“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,” said Gayatri Nair Lobo, CEO, Educate Girls.
“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,” Lobo added.