Deshpande Foundation

The Deshpande Foundation works to bring about a sustainable change by economically empowering rural and semi-urban communities in India. Our vision is to “Create an ecosystem that nurtures entrepreneurial mindsets that impact grassroot problems through innovation, collaboration and sustainability”. We do so through our programmes that focus on agriculture, edu-skilling, micro-entrepreneurship, and startups.

• Agriculture-based programmes are focused on the farming community, particularly small and marginal farmers in rain-fed areas.
• Micro-entrepreneurship programmes support aspiring and growing rural entrepreneurs, especially women and small-scale producers.
• Deshpande Skilling, Skill in Village programmes help school-going students & youth to learn job oriented skills for self-employment or joining the formal employment sector.
• Deshpande Startups programmes support budding entrepreneurs building solutions for rural and semi-urban India.

We have worked in the Hubballi area, a part of Northern Karnataka, India for over a decade. We are proud that our efforts so far have addressed 12 of the 17 United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). By collaboration with the for-profit, social, academic, and civil sectors and also with philanthropists, policymakers and the Government, we hope to reduce the gap between those with disposable income and those without. We believe, with increased participation from resourceful individuals and organizations like you, the collective impact can be bigger, faster, and better, and the journey more endearing.

Our core model for operations is based on these unique principles:

• Demand-driven programmes;
• Cost-sharing model with beneficiaries;
• Productised services (a value-added, systemized, “done-for-you” service, packaged neatly as a product with a defined scope and price);
• Culture of innovation and structured experimentation;
• Long-term trust built with the community in our area of operations.