Aasha Foundation · Registered under the Indian Trusts Act · 80G & FCRA approved
Since 2011 · 386 villages & urban slums
We work alongside communities to put children in classrooms, clean water in homes, healthcare within reach, and dignified livelihoods in the hands of women — and we show you exactly where every rupee goes.
12,480 donors fund our work
Every contribution is audited and reported.
Who we are
Aasha Foundation began in 2011 with eleven volunteers, one borrowed classroom and a simple belief: communities are not problems to be solved — they are partners to be resourced.
Today we run four interconnected programmes across 386 villages and urban slums in Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Assam. Every programme is designed with a local committee, staffed largely by people from the community, and measured against outcomes we publish openly — including the ones that fall short.
Every village has a locally elected Aasha Samiti that approves budgets, hires staff and signs off on outcomes.
Independent third-party evaluations each year. Full results — including failures — published in our annual report.
Audited accounts, 80G receipts within 48 hours, and geo-tagged photo evidence from every project site.
What we do
A child cannot learn on an empty stomach or without clean water at home. So we don't work in silos — we work in the same villages, on all four fronts, for years at a time.
Bridge schools for out-of-school children, learning kits, digital labs, and a mentorship pipeline that keeps first-generation learners in school through Grade 12.
Borewells, rainwater harvesting, piped supply to schools, and village-level water quality testing with trained local caretakers who keep systems running.
Mobile health clinics, maternal and child nutrition support, and 240 trained community health workers delivering primary care to the last mile.
Vocational training, self-help groups, seed capital and market linkages so women can build income that survives beyond our involvement.
Within 72 hours of a flood, cyclone or fire, our pre-positioned teams deliver shelter kits, food and medicine — then stay for the rebuilding.
Designate your gift
Every programme above can be funded directly. Pick one at checkout and you'll receive quarterly, photo-verified updates from that specific project.
Donate to a programmeOur impact
Every figure below is verified by an independent evaluator and published in our annual report — along with the targets we missed.
Direct beneficiaries across all four programme areas since 2011.
Enrolled, retained and progressing — 84% still in school after three years.
Across Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Assam.
Average household income up 2.7× within 18 months of training.
Impact data independently verified by Samaj Vikas Research Collective, March 2025. Full methodology available in our annual report.
Read the 2025 impact reportTransparency
We publish our allocation every quarter. No vague "administrative costs" — a line-by-line breakdown, audited by an independent chartered accountant.
Our overhead ratio of 7% is well below the 25% benchmark recommended by GuideStar India. That means ₹93 of every ₹100 you give reaches the field.
Donations are tax-exempt. Receipts issued within 48 hours, automatically linked to your PAN.
Authorised to receive foreign contributions through a designated FCRA account.
Independent statutory audit plus a separate programme audit every single year.
Quarterly, photo-verified updates delivered straight to every donor's inbox.
Voices from the field
From the field
Get involved
Give money, give time, give skills, or give your company's platform. All four move the needle.
One-time or monthly. Designate your gift to a specific programme and receive photo-verified updates from the field.
Field or remote. Teach, translate, design, code, fundraise or run a collection drive — as little as four hours a week.
Meet your 2% CSR obligation with measurable, audited outcomes. We build custom partnerships with quarterly reporting.
Make a donation
Not a receipt and a thank-you letter. A photograph of the borewell. The name of the child who went back to school. A GPS-tagged report from the village you funded.
Questions
Still unsure about something? Write to us at hello@aashafoundation.org — a real person replies within one working day.
Yes. Aasha Foundation holds valid 80G certification under Section 80G(5)(vi) of the Income Tax Act, 1961. Your donation qualifies for a 50% tax deduction. An 80G certificate is generated automatically and emailed to you within 48 hours of your donation, linked to the PAN you provide.
Three ways. First, our annual audited financial statements are published in full on this website. Second, every donor receives quarterly photo-verified reports with GPS coordinates from the specific project they funded. Third, our programmes are independently evaluated each year by an external research agency — and we publish those results, including shortfalls, without editing.
Absolutely. During checkout you can designate your gift to Education, Water & Sanitation, Healthcare, Livelihood, or Disaster Response. If you'd rather we direct it where the need is most urgent that quarter, choose "Where it's needed most" — that's what most of our donors do, and it lets us respond quickly to emergencies.
Yes. Aasha Foundation is registered under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 (FCRA) and maintains a designated FCRA account with the State Bank of India, New Delhi Main Branch, as required by law. Overseas donors receive a separate FCRA-compliant receipt. Please write to us before making a foreign contribution so we can guide you through the process.
We ask for a minimum of four hours a week for three months — enough time to actually be useful. Roles range from teaching and field documentation to translation, design, software development, legal support and fundraising. Remote volunteering is fully supported. Apply through the volunteer form and our coordinator will match you to a role within a week.
Yes — we currently work with 34 corporate partners. We can help you meet your 2% CSR obligation under the Companies Act 2013 with fully compliant CSR-1 reporting, quarterly outcome dashboards and third-party impact verification. We also run employee giving, payroll giving and volunteering programmes. Email partnerships@aashafoundation.org.
Stay in the loop
Field stories, real numbers, and the occasional difficult truth about what isn't working yet. No fundraising spam — we promise.
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