We are a young philanthropic organisation, passionate about making a tangible difference in the lives of people who are deeply disadvantaged, impoverished, underserved and marginalised. We enable positive social change in partnership with our grantees, who are the real changemakers.

At the core of our work is the strong culture of social responsibility, ethical action and mutual respect that we have imbibed from our founders. These values serve as moral compasses for all our actions.

We believe true development is inclusive. It must embrace all people, and give them the opportunity and the means for a better life. It means no one should be denied basic rights, freedoms, dignity, or excluded from the development process.

While we recognise that we cannot solve every problem or address every issue, we aim to bring in fresh perspectives and identify how best change can be achieved. So that we can support sustainable solutions.

Our mission is to facilitate a just, equitable, humane and sustainable society.

We focus on effective philanthropy--supporting projects across geographies in India, that can transform the lives of the poorest and the most vulnerable who continue to be isolated, unheard and unseen, in modern India. While we aim to meet the urgency of “here and now” needs, we aspire to bring about lasting systemic change. As we evolve and grow, we proactively work with our grant partners so they can continue to scale up and expand their reach--in order that the greatest good serves the greatest number.

We also seek to contribute to an overall ecosystem that will enhance the effectiveness of all philanthropic capital.

We aspire to build true partnerships with organisations in our chosen field of focus. Partnerships that are based on strongly shared goals and productive relationships. For us, this means being very respectful of our partners’ hard-won expertise and experience. The cornerstone of our partnerships is the framework for results that are mutually agreed upon, which clearly state what the grant is going to achieve and in what time frame.

We learn by doing and we play three roles--Funder, Enabler and Orchestrator--in our quest for enduring change at the individual, the community and the system level.

As Funder, we give out grants to partners whose work adds intrinsic value to vulnerable individuals and communities. They are “good people doing great work”, with credibility and a proven track record. A 3-year grant allows them to continue, expand and deepen the great work they already do.

As Enabler, we offer our expertise to build on our grant partners’ inherent strengths so they can scale their work and reach significantly more people. A 5-year grant supports their organisation development and resource mobilisation capabilities in addition to scaling up the programme.

As Orchestrator, we focus on system change and long-term impact. We develop Special Initiatives that synergistically bring together a number of partners and the government to achieve a particular change in a given sector. We set the goals in advance, develop a theory of change and use this to find partners and develop partnerships.

We work, partner and collaborate with civil society organisations, governments and other donors who share our goals.

We do not support individuals. Neither do we invest in businesses, or for-profit organisations, even those that consider themselves social enterprises.