New Delhi, May 04, 2026: Bayer Foundation has anchored the AWE Evergreen Philanthropic Fund (EPF), an initiative aimed at supporting technology-driven solutions in healthcare, climate resilience, and sustainable agriculture, particularly for underserved and climate-vulnerable communities in India.
The fund will be deployed through an evergreen capital pooling structure created by AWE Foundation. It is designed to provide long-term catalytic capital to impact-focused enterprises that often face challenges in accessing funding, particularly those led by women and operating in smaller towns and rural areas.
The EPF seeks to address the “missing middle” financing gap by backing scalable, gender-equitable solutions that improve livelihoods and health outcomes. The focus areas include expanding healthcare access, supporting climate adaptation, enhancing agricultural productivity, and enabling sustainable income opportunities.
Under the initiative, AWE Foundation will track impact across defined indicators, including improving healthcare access in underserved regions, strengthening community health workers through digital tools, increasing income for smallholder farmers, and promoting climate-smart agriculture practices. The fund has set targets to improve health outcomes for one million people, support 1.5 million women in gaining economic agency, and enhance livelihoods for 0.5 million individuals in rural and small-town communities.
Chitkala Kalidas, Executive Director, Bayer Foundation, said, “Women entrepreneurs are powerful catalysts for change - strengthening communities, accelerating inclusive innovation, and shaping more resilient futures. Through our partnership with AWE Foundation, we are proud to champion solutions that expand access to healthcare, transform food systems, and advance climate resilience in communities where the impact can be most profound.”
Seema Chaturvedi, Chair, AWE Foundation and Managing Partner at AWE Funds, said, “This collaboration with Bayer Foundation enables us to deliver much-needed long-term, patient capital at the intersection of women’s entrepreneurship, healthcare access, climate resilience, and sustainable agriculture. The EPF structure has the potential to galvanize the potency of blended finance to unlock catalytic capital, crowd in private investment, and accelerate the scale-up of solutions that can transform livelihoods and communities at the last mile. We are deeply grateful to Bayer Foundation for anchoring this effort and partnering with us to build a more inclusive, resilient, and opportunity-rich future.”
All investments made through the EPF will be subject to independent governance oversight and conflict-of-interest protocols, ensuring transparency and accountability.
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