Education should be a basic right for all; financing that education should be accessible and affordable.

Finance your Education with Income Sharing Agreements

Wedu’s Income Sharing Agreements (ISAs) offer women changemakers like you an accessible and affordable way to fund studies pursued after high school. Unlike traditional loans, ISAs are designed to adjust to the realities of your unique leadership journey because contributions are only due when you’re employed or earning an income. With ISAs, your contributions also help fund future generations of women leaders who seek the same financial support, making your education even more impactful than it already is.

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Accomplish this Budget Form before applying.

STEP 1

Woman with leadership aspirations seeks funding at Wedu to support her studies

STEP 2

Receives funding of up to US$5,000 to pay for her education's costs, and join Wedu's global leadership community

STEP 3

Graduates or finishes her programme and starts earning

STEP 4

Contribute forward % of earnings for a fixed number of years to women leaders seeking financial support in their education

ISA in More Detail

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Accomplish this Budget Form before applying.

What ISA Covers

WHAT YOU CAN USE AN ISA FOR

 

A ISA is neither a scholarship nor a loan. It is an agreement you enter to receive funding and pay forward a portion of your future earnings.

 

This agreement is available to women pursuing post-secondary education or studies after high school. This applies to, but is not limited to, degree programmes like Bachelor’s, Master’s, PhD and specialized training programmes like short certificate courses, bootcamps, and academies that build hard and soft skills. We are currently committing our funds to women who will graduate in under two years.

 

You can request up to US$5,000 to support costs associated with your education like:

Academic costs: tuition fees, course fees, etc.
Living expenses: school materials and other costs related to day-to-day expenses
Housing costs: rent, water, electricity, internet, etc.

 

Funding does not cover student loan repayments, conference costs, health expenses, or start-up capital for businesses.

Eligibility & Selection Criteria

ELIGIBILITY & SELECTION CRITERIA

 

Currently, ISAs are available to women* at least 18 years old from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste, or Vietnam. We are actively looking for funding and partners to expand the reach of our education funding.

 

*At Wedu, we see gender as a matter of self-determination, and our definition of ‘women’ includes cis women, trans women. While the funding opportunity is only open to women, we engage and mobilise allies of all genders, including men, women, and gender-expansive/gender-fluid folks, in support of our mission.

 

 

To become a ISA member, you must:

 

• Demonstrate leadership ambitions and abilities

 

• Be proficient in English and fully understand the use of ISA and how it relates to your long-term leadership aspirations

 

• Demonstrate an understanding of your projected future earnings

 

• Have the ability to make an online payment or bank transfer of US$ 2 to confirm that you can make your monthly contribution during your contract period

 

• Demonstrate that the requested funding is the final amount required to complete the educational opportunity and does not exceed US$5,000 in total. Any additional funding required to complete your education beyond the ISA amount requested should already be secured (e.g through family support, scholarships, institutional loans, etc.)

 

• Accepted or are currently enrolled in the education programme

 

• Have strong recommendations from both personal and professional references

 

Have completed Wedu’s Introduction to Leadership online course

 

• Women within Wedu’s leadership community of Rising Stars and Mentors are especially welcome

 

 

CONDITIONAL OFFER

 

Should any of the criteria not be fulfilled yet at the moment of application, we may consider using a conditional offer letter which would become effective at the time of meeting all requirements. A conditional offer would not become a full offer unless all eligibility requirements are met within an agreed timeframe.

Expectations from ISA Members

EXPECTATIONS

 

After receiving a ISA, members are expected to:

 

•   Regularly communicate with Wedu’s funding team as needed, including informing Wedu if you have major changes in your studies and leadership journey (e.g. graduation, employment, changes in life circumstances etc.).

 

•   Make monthly contributions for the duration of your contract. While you are still studying or involuntarily unemployed, your contributions are fixed at US$ 2 per month to build regular payment habits. Upon employment, monthly contributions switch over to the agreed-upon income percentage (e.g. 7% of earnings for 7 years).

 

•   Participate in ISA-related activities as needed. (e.g. Monitoring, Evaluating, and Learning (MEL) process of the programme, speaking opportunities, etc.).

Application Process

APPLICATION PROCESS

 

Submit your application through this form. After reviewing your application, we will schedule one-on-one calls to learn more about your education financing needs and leadership aspirations. Prior to the call, we may ask for clarifying questions or supporting documents to understand your financing needs better. After completing the calls, you choose your contract terms (% of future income and # of agreed years to contribute) and provide other necessary documents. And then, FISA funds will be transferred to your account.

 

Your application can take 4-6 weeks to process, from application to disbursement. Prompt communication with the funding team and providing timely requested information will help ensure we commit to this timeline.

 

For inquiries, please write to funding@weduglobal.org.

 

 

DEADLINE

 

Funding applications can be submitted at any time throughout the year and are reviewed on a rolling basis.

Why Choose a ISA?

FREEDOM

Accomplish your education goals without the burden of loans. With FISA, we trust your commitment to drive change and offer up to US$5,000 for your education costs. Contributions only start after you graduate and earn income, so you can fully focus on your studies now and help others in the future.

OWNERSHIP

Your ISA is tailored to your unique leadership journey. We design each contract to fit your specific circumstances and needs. The timeframe and amount of contributions are mutually agreed upon, so you can plan your financial future with clarity and confidence.

GROWTH

We believe financial support has the most impact when combined with leadership development support. As a ISA member, you also gain access to Wedu’s leadership trainings, mentorship programme, a global community of changemakers, and opportunities to share your story of impact at events and features.

IMPACT

Pay it forward and magnify your impact. With ISAs, you don’t repay what you received; instead, you invest in the education of future women. Your contributions fund new agreements, providing even more women with the same opportunity. Join a movement that multiplies the power of education.

Here’s what ISA Members are saying

ISA and Wedu’s leadership development resources were the bridge to my success because they supported me when I was facing financial problems at university.

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With the flexibility of the contribution plan and the support of my mentor, I was able to keep up with my studies and finish my Bachelor’s degree successfully. —Dalin, Cambodia

Thanks to ISA, I will be the first generation in my family to complete and hold a Master’s Degree.

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Coming from an Indigenous family, getting a Master’s Degree will also empower the younger generation in my community. —Sumi, Nepal

Making monthly contributions is my way of giving back to the community. I appreciate that the ISA is giving us a chance and a platform to uplift each other, especially women.

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More than ever, it is one of the things that we need in order to break barriers, inequalities, and gender discrimination —Mariel, Philippines

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Accomplish this Budget Form before applying.

Scale the impact of ISA with us

 

Building on the success of our pilot Income-Sharing Agreement (ISA) project, we are seeking mission-aligned funders and thought partners to join us in scaling this into an evergreen ISA fund that will deliver cascading impacts for years to come. To discuss philanthropic investment opportunities and bring ISA to your community of women leaders, connect with us via email at partnerships@weduglobal.org.

WE PROUDLY PARTNER WITH

Sunline Foundation