UN Women Care and Climate Entrepreneurship Accelerator

Run by UN Women and supported by the Visa Foundation, the Care and Climate Entrepreneurship Accelerator is designed for women-owned and women-benefitting enterprises across the Asia-Pacific region. The program offers grants ranging from US$5,000 to US$100,000 (approximately ₹4.3L to ₹87L) and provides tailored support in six key areas. Its goal is to help enterprises address the interconnected challenges of climate change and unpaid care work, empowering women entrepreneurs to scale their impact. The accelerator focuses on for-profit entities that have been operational for at least two years, have product-market fit, and are already generating revenue. Participants must also commit to the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs) and integrate gender considerations into their business operations.

• Grants from ₹4.3L to ₹87L (US$5,000–US$100,000)
• Open to women-owned/led or gender-diverse founding teams
• For-profit enterprises operating in South Asia or Southeast Asia
• Must have at least two years of operations and proven product-market fit
• Commitment to the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs) required
• Application deadline: 31 August 2025

To apply, your enterprise must be woman-owned or woman-led, or have a gender-diverse founding team. It must be a for-profit registered entity operating in South Asia or Southeast Asia. The business should have been operational for at least two years, demonstrate established product-market fit, and be revenue-generating. Additionally, selected participants must commit to signing the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs) and mainstream gender perspectives into their business. There are no specific requirements for DPIIT or MSME registration, and the program accepts any eligible for-profit entity type from the eligible regions.

UN Women Care and Climate Entrepreneurship Accelerator is open to startups at any stage. It is open to startups registered anywhere in India.

The most recent application window for UN Women Care and Climate Entrepreneurship Accelerator closed on 31 Aug 2025. Many programmes run repeat cohorts, so it is worth checking the official site for the next round.

Selected enterprises receive a grant of ₹4.3L to ₹87L (US$5,000–US$100,000). Beyond funding, the accelerator offers tailored support in six key areas (specific areas not detailed in the source) to help businesses tackle climate change and care work. The program does not take equity; grants are non-dilutive.

UN Women Care and Climate Entrepreneurship Accelerator is offered by Visa Foundation, a non-profit foundation. It is delivered directly by Visa Foundation as a grant. You can verify current details and timelines on the provider's official website before applying.

Before you apply to UN Women Care and Climate Entrepreneurship Accelerator, keep the following documents ready:

• A pitch deck or short business plan describing the problem, product and traction
• Company registration documents and PAN
• Founder identification (PAN / Aadhaar) and brief profiles
• Recent financial statements or projections
• Product details — a demo, prototype or working link if available

Exact requirements are confirmed on the official application portal — treat this as a preparation checklist.

UN Women Care and Climate Entrepreneurship Accelerator is best suited for startups in India seeking non-dilutive funding of ₹4.3L – ₹87L. If that describes your startup, review the eligibility criteria above before applying.