Vedica Foundation - only Indian organisation in the inaugural cohort of AOF Grantees

The Apollo Opportunity Foundation announced 11 recipients for its inaugural grant, recently. The Vedica Foundation, an organisation committed to building a cadre of successful women professionals, and creating an ecosystem for women professionals to thrive in, was the only Indian organisation selected for this illustrious cohort. The Apollo Opportunity Foundation (AOF) was established in 2022 by Apollo Global Management Inc., a leading private equity firm based in New York, to advance the mission of expanding opportunity in the workplace, the marketplace and the communities where Apollo's employees live and work. The Foundation is employee-driven with a mission to expand opportunities for underrepresented individuals. The Vedica Foundation underwent a comprehensive evaluation process to secure the grant - employees from across Apollo-nominated organizations, which were then reviewed by the Foundation's Grants Council. Organizations were examined on the impact they've made and their alignment with AOF's key pillars of career education, workforce development and economic empowerment. In recognition of the work done through the Vedica Scholars Programme for Women, and the Vedica Women's Alliance, Vedica was selected to be a part of the inaugural cohort of Apollo's grant, along with 10 other organizations. Vedica was established in 2015, with the launch of the Vedica Scholars Programme for Women, an all-women's 18-month postgraduate course in management practice and leadership, which offers a unique multidisciplinary alternative to the traditional MBA. The programme has scaled steadily, from ~30 students in 2015, to ~120 students in 2022. The programme also pioneered a first-of-its-kind curriculum focusing on management practice, liberal arts, communications and quantitative skills mastery, and, personal transformation and growth. Vedica has graduated ~500 Scholars, fulfilled its promise of a 100 per cent track record of placements each year, and also made the programme accessible to women from various socio-economic backgrounds, by offering need-based financial assistance worth over Rs 5.5 crores to ~200 women from across the country. Recognizing that social change requires collective effort - from the Government, organisations and institutions, and in an individual - Vedica has taken steps to expand its impact on not just individuals but also the professional ecosystem that women work in. Vedica, in 2020, set up the Vedica Women's Alliance (V-WA), a network of senior women professionals built to aggregate, advocate, and amplify the voices of women leaders and enable careers of distinction. V-WA has brought together 100+ representatives from various organizations like BCG, KPMG, Bain and Company, among others, to create awareness and solutions for issues women face in the workplace. Anuradha Das Mathur, the Founder and Director of the Vedica Foundation, said, "We are hugely privileged to have Apollo's support in our mission to help women achieve career-led financial independence and our vision to reverse the trend of women dropping out of the workforce. This partnership will allow us to make our Programme accessible and to more women, especially those from underserved segments. We are excited that Apollo has created a platform to advance meaningful social impact globally, and are beyond proud to be a part of the Foundation's inaugural cohort. With Apollo's support and guidance, we hope that Vedica will become the go-to institution for everything related to women and work - data, research, and solutions. We look forward to expand opportunities for women and form a deeper and greater association with Apollo in the times to come."

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( With inputs from ANI )