Deshpande Foundation

Strives to drive sustainable development in rural and semi-urban India by fostering innovation, collaboration, and entrepreneurship, with a focus on livelihood, healthcare, education, and policy-making

  • FCRA
Transparency Rating:
Transparency Rating
The transparency rating is calculated based on the amount of information available for the organisation.
Claim this profile

About

  • Headquarters

    Hubballi, Karnataka

  • Since

    1996

The Deshpande Foundation has dedicated itself to promoting sustainable and scalable social and economic progress through innovation and entrepreneursh Read moreip, operating across the United States, Canada, and India. Guided by a set of core principles, the Foundation collaboratively co-creates solutions with local communities, responding to their unique conditions and needs. Through partnerships and learning from best practices, it aims to be cost-effective and efficient in its endeavours. In India, it focuses on addressing the challenges faced by rural and semi-urban areas, particularly in livelihood, healthcare, education, and policy-making. Its approach involves enhancing livelihoods and fostering sustainable economic prosperity within these communities. Areas of emphasis include Agriculture, Micro-Entrepreneurship, Skilling, and Startups. Its ultimate goal is to create a tangible, nationwide impact, commencing with rural transformation. It envisions to establish an ecosystem that nurtures entrepreneurial thinking to address grassroots challenges through innovation, collaboration, and sustainability, fostering lasting change in rural and semi-urban India.

Programs

  • Agricultural Programmes

    The Deshpande Foundation's Agriculture Initiatives aim to improve the livelihoods of farmers in rural and semi-urban India. It collaborates with national and international organisations to address the primary needs of the farming community. These initiatives include building farm ponds, promoting the Better Cotton Initiative, and supporting Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs). The goal is to positively impact the lives of one million farmers by 2026, contributing to rural transformation and sustainability. The Farm Ponds programme focuses on water-harvesting structures, while the Better Cotton Initiative promotes environmental and economic improvements. Farmer Producer Organizations offer support in compliance, governance, capacity-building, and business development, ultimately reducing input costs and expanding market access for farmers.

  • Skill Development Programme

    The Deshpande Foundation's Skilling initiative aims to equip youth from non-metro towns and villages in India with job-oriented skills to tap into the country's growing economy. This programme impacts students from elementary to middle school and graduates from these areas. Through skill development programmes, innovative technology in classrooms, and an integrated learning system, it strives to economically and scalably transform rural areas. Programs like SkillPlus, SkillPlus-R, Skill in Village (SiV), and EarlySpark focus on turning unemployed rural youth into skilled professionals, improving school enrolments, and enhancing teaching methods in primary schools, ultimately making a positive impact in rural and semi-urban India.

  • Micro-Entrepreneurship Development Programme (MEDP)

    The Deshpande Foundation's Micro-Entrepreneurship Development Programme (MEDP) empowers local micro-entrepreneurs by offering training, mentorship, monitoring, and best practices implementation. With a decade of experience, MEDP is committed to rural transformation in North Karnataka & Telangana. The initiative has made a significant impact, contributing to the financial ecosystem of rural and semi-urban communities. It operates through two key arms: I-MEDP focuses on individual entrepreneurs, providing networking support, exhibitions, and business planning, while C-MEDP creates clusters for artisans and producers, facilitating shared markets and services. These clusters in food, leather, and Aari embroidery aim to empower local communities and foster self-reliance.

  • Deshpande Startups Programme

    Deshpande Startups offers a supportive ecosystem of resources, connections, knowledge, and talent for entrepreneurs with a mission to create a significant impact in semi-urban and rural communities across India. Entrepreneurs view it as a dynamic platform to test, validate, and scale their business ideas, aiming to bring about positive change in the lives of billions.

Leadership Team

  • Anand Bariya

    Chief Executive Officer

  • P N Nayak

    Managing Trustee & CEO - Deshpande Skilling

  • Karthik Sankaran

    CEO - Deshpande Startups

  • Shubo Biswas

    Global Chief Technology Officer

  • Sonali Sarma

    Head - HR

Demographics & Structure

  • No. of Employees

    100+

M&E

  • Internal, External Assessors

    No

Policies

  • Ethics and Transparency Policies

    No

  • Formal CEO Oversight & Compensation Policy

    No

Political & Religious Declarations

  • On Affiliation if any

    No

  • On Deployment Bias if any

    No

Registration Details

  • Registration ID

    JPN-4-00133-2007-08

  • VO ID / Darpan ID

    KA/2017/0165362

  • FCRA

    094520067

  • CSR Registration Number

    Not Available

Location

  • Headquarters

    Deshpande Center for Social Entrepreneurship, Vidyanagar, Hubballi, 580031

    Directions
  • Offices in Cities

Other Details

  • Type & Sub Type

    Non-profit