Core Organizations Active in Our Network
The India Philanthropy Alliance is composed of core network organizations that work across education, livelihoods, public health, food and water, climate change mitigation, child rights, and gender equality in pursuit of a single goal: transformative impact in India. We collectively engage in a range of efforts including pioneering innovative educational programs that reach millions of children, developing sustainable food and water security solutions for rural and urban communities, and advancing public health through disease prevention and healthcare access. While diverse in our areas of focus, we aim to collaborate to create a more equitable and prosperous India.
Agastya USA is a nonprofit organization that supports of work of Agastya International Foundation in India. Through its innovative pedagogical methods, the foundation encourages hands-on learning. They have introduced Mobile Labs, including Lab-in-a-Box and Lab-on-a-Bike, which make science lessons accessible to even the remotest areas. They also focus on strengthening the relationship between students and teachers with initiatives like the Young Instructor Leader Program. Agastya’s work spans 22 Indian states and has impacted 250,000 teachers and 20 million children.
States: Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Orissa, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal
The Akanksha Education Fund is a not-for-profit organization that raises support and awareness in the U.S. to fund educational opportunities for disadvantaged children in India, enabling some of the most marginalized children in the world to maximize their potential. Akanksha’s journey began with just 15 students in a single classroom. By the mid-2000s, Akanksha had set up 60 after-school centers staffed with dedicated professional teachers, volunteers, and social workers that catered to over 3,000 underserved children. In 2007, Akanksha initiated the School Project: a scalable school model within the government framework that spurs systemic educational transformation. Today, under this initiative, Akanksha runs 26 schools located in Mumbai, Pune, and Nagpur.
States: Maharashtra
Akshaya Patra’s mission is that no child is forced to abandon education due to hunger. They began their operations in the year 2000 by serving 1,500 meals to a small group of local schools. With the vision to eliminate classroom hunger, the organization has since scaled to serve over 2 million meals to children in 19,000+ government schools across 15 states and 2 Union Territories in India daily. This innovative program design combines technological innovation and government collaboration to create a highly effective, sustainable, scalable, and replicable school meal program. With an extensive framework of centralized kitchens, Akshaya Patra uses technology to align with the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. These kitchens are strategically located, efficient, and hygienic.
States: Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Delhi NCR, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand
The American India Foundation (AIF) was founded to enhance the lives of India’s marginalized groups, particularly women, children, and youth. AIF’s operation spans domains such as education, livelihoods, public health, climate change mitigation, and leadership development. A deep commitment to gender equity and poverty alleviation underpins their programs. They engage with key stakeholders, including the government and civil society for sustainable and scalable interventions. AIF has impacted over 16.5 million individuals across 36 states and union territories.
States: Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi NCR, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Nagaland, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal
Antara International addresses the urgent concerns of maternal and child mortality and malnutrition and has a dedicated focus on India’s most marginalized populations. Emerging from the foundation of Antara International is its Indian counterpart, The Antara Foundation (TAF). This non-profit, Indian-registered body has been working to improve India’s rural healthcare system. TAF hopes to induce a systemic change, particularly targeting the grassroots—the ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist), Anganwadi Worker, and ANM (Auxiliary Nurse Midwife). TAF’s AAA platform and frontline worker record books have been adopted by the Rajasthan government across its 46,000 villages, directly touching the lives of 60 million individuals.
States: Madhya Pradesh
Arogya World is a global health powerhouse that pivots around the prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and chronic lung diseases. The organization stresses the exigency of NCD prevention, given that these ailments contribute to two-thirds of global deaths, and 80% of these occur in low-to-middle-income nations. Arogya’s programs, including mDiabetes, Healthy Schools, and Healthy Workplaces, support their mission of achieving healthier lifestyles for countless individuals. Their digital-first approach can be seen in projects like the digitized school health program, which is being merged with the government’s Diksha platform.
States: Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Goa, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal
Avanti Fellows USA is a US-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that supports the work of Avanti Fellows in India. Avanti Fellows’ mission is to help students lift themselves & their families out of poverty in a single generation through access to quality careers in STEM. Avanti works with 6 large government school systems to create system-wide test-preparation programs for national entrance exams for engineering, medical and other technical education in STEM. Avanti’s programs serve over 30,000 high-school students (Grades 9-12), across 19 states and 6 union territories. More than 50% of Avanti’s students are girls. The majority of their students learn online - making their programs amongst the largest online at-home learning programs for high-school students globally.
States: Active in 21 Indian states and 5 Union Territories
In India, every fourth child lives in abject poverty. Children’s Hope India (CHI) aims to instill hope by entitling every child to a promising future. Such statistics are especially grim in slums, where life’s hardships often necessitate child labor, begging, or worse. In these conditions, CHI responds with an array of projects. From Bhopal to Hyderabad, CHI’s reach has extended to create accredited schools like the Children’s Hope India Girls School (female empowerment through quality education) and the CHI Ekalavya Schools (holistic development for slum-residing children). CHI hosts various educational programs such as CHI-UJAS Asha Kendra in Jodhpur, which aids refugee children in transitioning to formal education, and CHI-Prayas Cradle-to-Career Program in New Delhi.
States: Jammu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Telangana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Bengal
Child Rights and You has left an indelible mark in its pursuit to protect the rights of Indian children. India, home to 472 million children—40% of its population—remains plagued by issues such as child labor, malnutrition, and inadequate budgetary allocations for child development. Underpinning CRY’s mission is the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), ratified by India in 1992. In 2022-23 alone, CRY influenced the lives of over 1.35 million children. Their interventions have realized 97% school enrollment for children aged 6-18 in CRY project areas and the protection of 99% of adolescent girls from childhood marriage.
States: Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Karnataka, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal
Community Pure Water provides sustainable access to purified drinking water for rural communities in India. For over a decade, Community Pure Water has been executing its Install-Operate-Maintain (IOM) model to build water purification centers (WPCs) in rural regions. The organization currently serves 750,000 people with purified water and dispenses 300,000 liters of water every day across more than 450 villages. Each water dispenser serves 500 families and up to 2,500 people, operating at higher than 98% uptime for 14 years. Their work has also generated employment for over 200 residents. Reliable access to safe water has significantly reduced the time burden on women and girls, allowing them more time for education and economic activities. Clean water access has also prevented waterborne diseases, which affect 38 million people in rural India each year.
States: Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh
The Foundation for Excellence (FFE) began its journey by creating pathways to medical and engineering degrees in India for brilliant but under resourced students. These professional degrees were chosen due to their potential to change the trajectory of a student’s life and ultimately, their community. As of 2017, the foundation boasted the awarding of over 47,000 scholarships. FFE identifies and supports those exceptional students who ace state and national entrance exams and secure seats in India’s prestigious institutions. The organization also understands the challenges faced by first-generation learners, especially from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, and established a Mentorship Program that aims to boost employability by connecting third-year scholars with experienced professionals in related fields.
States: All Indian states
Indiaspora is a nonprofit organization established to transform the success of the Indian diaspora into meaningful impact worldwide. Founded in 2012 by M.R. Rangaswami and led by an esteemed Board and Founders Circle, their members are global leaders from diverse backgrounds and professions that work to build stronger communities at home and abroad. By sharing insight, hosting events and connecting people, Indiaspora aims to unite the professionally, geographically and religiously diverse Indian diaspora community toward collective action worldwide. Their partnership with Give was a defining moment for the philanthropic realm, as their collective missions work together to channel philanthropic contributions from eminent institutions, foundations, and high-net-worth individuals in the United States to spur social impact initiatives in India.
States: Not Applicable
Lotus Petal Foundation creates equal opportunities for underprivileged children in India’s urban and semi-urban areas. The foundation’s Lotus Petal Sr. Secondary School, located in Gurugram, Haryana, serves as its flagship educational initiative. Built on a 5-acre campus, the school boasts state-of-the-art infrastructure, including 81 digitally enabled classrooms and various specialized labs. The institution caters to students from Class 2 to 8, with plans to expand to Class 12. Tailored pedagogy addresses the specific learning needs of its student demographic (most of whom come from low-income families). Moreover, it has initiated programs like BlueKhoj to connect parents to job providers, especially those who lost employment during the pandemic.
States: Haryana
PlanetRead’s signature Billion Readers (BIRD) initiative aims to ensure daily and lifelong reading for a billion people in India to serve a vision: Every Indian, a fluent reader. This seemingly impossible goal is made possible by adding Same Language Subtitling (SLS) to existing entertainment content on TV and streaming, in all Indian regional languages – word for word viewers read what they hear. In India, our work has driven national broadcast policy which mandates SLS on 50% entertainment content on television by 2025, in every language, state, and channel. Sharply focussed on impacting girls and women, BIRD is working towards three national goals: reading literacy, Indian language learning, and media access among the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH). PlanetRead is working with state governments, policy makers, private TV networks, and streaming platforms to scale SLS. Built on a bedrock of evidence-based policymaking, SLS was conceived for mass reading in 1996 at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA). PlanetRead has served as the backbone of the SLS project since 2004.
States: Active in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi NCR, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal.
Beginning in 1995, Pratham has been on a persistent journey to address India’s educational crisis. Their flagship initiative, the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), has served as a wake-up call to the nation since 2005. In 2018, their extensive research revealed a sobering truth: despite almost universal enrollment, foundational learning levels were alarmingly low. In response, Pratham developed Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL). Rather than emphasizing age or grade, this approach prioritizes the child’s current learning level. Children are grouped based on their abilities, so the instruction they receive is tailored to their needs. Among their key initiatives are operations to rescue child laborers and prevent child trafficking.
States: Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Chandigarh, Delhi, Daman and Diu, Dadar and Nagar Haveli, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal
ECHO India is committed to leveling the playing field in healthcare, education, and other sectors aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals. The organization has set a target of impacting 400 million lives in India by 2025. To achieve this, ECHO India has launched over 250 hubs where medical specialists train general practice physicans from remote locations online to treat diseases normally referred to a specialist. ECHO India has conducted 800 capacity-building programs to encompass more than 30 disease areas. During the COVID-19 pandemic, ECHO India pivoted its operations to address the public health crisis. It has also launched a dedicated Nursing Vertical in 2020 to strengthen the capacities of healthcare nurses across India. Programs supported by ECHO India range from ones focused on child-friendly education to others aiming at medication safety and rational use of drugs.
States: All Indian states
The Sehgal Foundation catalyzes community-driven developmental initiatives, resulting in positive social, economic, and environmental transformations across the vast landscapes of rural India. At its core, it prioritizes Water Management—a segment that holds profound significance in India, a nation with 18% of the global populace but just 4% of the world’s water resources. Acknowledging this, the foundation has formulated robust water management strategies, from rainwater harvesting to rooftop storage. Additionally, Sehgal Foundation focuses on Agriculture Development. It supports efficient water utilization in farming through techniques like micro-irrigation, mulching, and laser leveling.
States: Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand
Teach For India US empowers Teach For India with intellectual, human, and financial resources to eliminate educational inequity in India. Their goal is that every child in India receives a high-quality education, and their belief is that leadership for education is the solution. Teach for India is building a movement of leaders through their two year fellowship program which gives fellows the opportunity to experience firsthand the complex socio-economic landscape of India while working closely with students, school principals, parents, and other critical stakeholders. TFI boasts an alumni network of over 3,800 members, of which a notable 77% continue to champion educational reform and work in the social sector. This alumni movement has managed to create a significant impact, touching the lives of 1 in 10 children across India.
States: Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, New Delhi, Gujarat
VicenteFerrer Foundation USA (VFF USA)
Vicente Ferrer Foundation USA(VFF USA) is dedicated to empowering rural communities in India, with a focus on improving the lives of the country's most marginalized groups to build a more just and equitable society. We place a strong emphasis on assisting the most vulnerable populations — children, women, and people with disabilities — to ensure that development in rural areas leaves no one behind. Through our local implementing partner, the Rural Development Trust (RDT), we work to develop holistic, long-term solutions that empower communities, improve living conditions, and promote lasting positive change. Over the course of 55 years, RDT has transformed the lives of more than 3.6 million individuals through a holistic and community-centric approach.
States: Andhra Pradesh, Telangana
VisionSpring strives to make the indispensable tool of eyeglasses accessible to everyone, especially for those in emerging and frontier markets. This mission has sparked the delivery of 8.7 million pairs of glasses, yielding an economic impact valued at $1.8 billion. VisionSpring serves a clientele where 80% survive on less than $4 a day, and 53% are owning glasses for the very first time. These glasses, beyond correcting vision, give opportunities for enhanced earning, learning, and overall well-being. Although the organization is rooted in non-profit practices, they have harnessed business strategies to achieve scale. This hybrid approach means that every $1 donated creates $43 in income at the household level.
States: All Indian states with a focus on Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh
The Wadhwani Initiative for Sustainable Healthcare (WISH) was launched in 2014 to reinvent the primary healthcare landscape of India. WISH’s initiatives serve populations in the most remote areas, urban slums, and regions with scarce healthcare services. Their Health and Wellness Centers not only facilitate patients’ medical needs but also promote community engagement and offer free consultations and medicines. Anticipating the potential of digital solutions in healthcare, WISH also introduced Digital Health and Wellness Centers (d-HWCs). These centers bridge primary healthcare gaps using digital tools, telehealth solutions, automated medicine dispensing, and comprehensive Electronic Health Records (EHR).
States: Assam, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh
All of these organizations are supporting entities in India that are operating under similar names.