What Central Square Foundation does

Central Square Foundation (CSF) is an India-based non-profit foundation established in 2012 and headquartered in New Delhi, operating as a catalytic enabler for foundational learning in Indian government schools. Its primary beneficiaries are children from low-income backgrounds, and its primary institutional customers are state governments — CSF currently collaborates with 11 state governments and works across 14 states through District Project Management Units (DPMUs) that co-design and execute statewide Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) missions under India's NIPUN Bharat framework. Reported program outcomes include a 20%+ reduction in non-readers in Bihar DPMU districts and a jump in classroom observations from ~30% to ~98% in Odisha's Dhenkanal district.

CSF's product surface spans three layers. First, direct implementation assets: DPMUs, the Foundational Learning Public Goods Portal, and the High Potential Students / TARANG STEM Accelerator workstream targeting 1,00,000 students by 2030. Second, EdTech and AI-enabled learning products delivered through partners — Rocket Learning (WhatsApp-based at-home learning), Top Parent, ConveGenius (conversational AI chatbot), Chimple (game-based learning), Mindspark (personalized adaptive learning), and Saarthi — many evaluated under randomized control trials conducted with J-PAL. Third, ecosystem public goods: TicTacLearn (10,000+ curriculum videos in 5 vernacular languages on YouTube and DIKSHA, adopted by 10 states), the Bharat Survey for EdTech (BaSE) covering 10 states/12,500 households/2,500 teachers, EdTech Tulna (an EdTech evaluation index with IIT-Bombay), and AI Samarth (an AI-literacy curriculum framework with IIT Madras). Recent additions include ShikshaNext (a Rs 170-crore multi-donor EdTech and AI initiative aiming to reach 13 million children by 2029) and the Education AI Impact Casebook launched at the India AI Impact Summit 2026.

CSF's business model is philanthropic grant-funded; it charges no fees and serves governments, schools, and beneficiaries at no cost. Confirmed major donors include Google.org ($4M grant in Oct 2024), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Reliance Foundation, and Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, alongside listed supporters such as Bajaj Finserv, HDFC Parivartan, Havells, EY Foundation, British Asian Trust, Gaja Capital, Founders Pledge, and others. Go-to-market is government- and ecosystem-led: CSF embeds technical teams in districts, co-designs state FLN missions, supports EdTech procurement decisions for state governments (e.g., Haryana, Madhya Pradesh), and convenes multi-donor coalitions. The organization has also extended internationally via an MoU with the Government of Nigeria for technology-enabled education.

Name

Central Square Foundation

Legal name

Central Square Foundation

Website

https://centralsquarefoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Central Square Foundation is an India-based non-profit founded in 2012 that works with 11 state governments across 14 states to improve foundational literacy and numeracy, deploy EdTech and AI for underserved children, and publish national research on education technology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Services and Philanthropy

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171)

akta.pro primary industry

District Administration & Central Office (EDAJAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Literacy Foundations (Phonics, Reading Fluency, Comprehension) Platforms (EDAFAOAD), K–12 Core Curriculum Small-Group Tutoring Centers (Math/ELA/Science/Social Studies) (EDANAHAA), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

Keywords

• Education philanthropy
• Foundational literacy numeracy
• EdTech and AI
• Government education systems
• School governance reform

Headquarters

HQ city

New Delhi

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Grants and Donations: CSF operates as a non-profit organization funded by philanthropic grants from foundations and corporate donors. Major donors include Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Google.org, Reliance Foundation, Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, and various others listed on their website.
2. Partnership Funding: Multi-partner initiatives like ShikshaNext (Rs 170 crore) are funded by multiple donors including Reliance Foundation, Gates Foundation, and Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, with CSF serving as Managing Partner.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Central Square Foundation is a non-profit foundation that works with state governments in India to design and execute statewide Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) missions. It supports EdTech and AI-enabled learning solutions, builds evidence through research and evaluation, and runs programs in early childhood education, school governance, and high-potential student development across 14 Indian states.

Product overview

Central Square Foundation operates as a non-profit catalyst working across India's education ecosystem through multiple interconnected programs. The organization supports Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) through District Project Management Units (DPMUs) in 14 states, while its EdTech portfolio includes solutions like Rocket Learning, Top Parent, ConveGenius, and Chimple that leverage WhatsApp and mobile platforms for at-home and in-school learning. Major initiatives include ShikshaNext (Rs 170 crore multi-partner EdTech and AI initiative), AI Samarth (AI literacy curriculum with IIT Madras), and the Bharat Survey for EdTech (BaSE) providing nationwide research on digital access. The organization also supports evaluation tools like EdTech Tulna (with IIT-Bombay) and EdTech Lab (with IDinsight), alongside content platforms like TicTacLearn on YouTube and DIKSHA. TARANG STEM Accelerator addresses high-potential students from underserved backgrounds. All programs feed into India's NIPUN Bharat Mission for universal FLN by grade 3.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AI Samarth: An AI literacy initiative aimed at raising awareness and encouraging responsible use of AI among students, parents and teachers across India.
• Bharat Survey for EdTech (BaSE)
• Tarang STEM Accelerator
• TicTacLearn
• ShikshaNext

Products and services

• District Project Management Units (DPMUs) Embedded district-level units that provide technical and management support to state education departments to execute Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) missions, working with mentors, teachers, and education officials across schools.
• ShikshaNext A Rs 170-crore multi-year initiative to improve learning outcomes for children from underserved communities through EdTech and AI, delivered via three interconnected programmes: EdTech ScaleX, EdTech Accelerator, and EdTech & AI Innovation Hub.
• AI Samarth An AI literacy initiative raising awareness and encouraging responsible use of AI among students, parents, and teachers across India, with a curriculum framework developed in partnership with IIT Madras.
• Bharat Survey for EdTech (BaSE) A large-scale national survey providing insights into access to and use of technology for teaching and learning among parents, children, and teachers from low-income backgrounds in India.
• TicTacLearn A free learning resource with over 10,000 high-quality animated curriculum-based videos available in 5 vernacular languages on YouTube and DIKSHA, adopted by 10 states for learn-at-home programs.
• TARANG STEM Accelerator An acceleration initiative that nurtures and empowers high-potential students from underserved backgrounds to excel academically through focused STEM and life skills interventions, bringing together cohort partners for holistic support.
• EdTech Tulna An evaluation index for EdTech solutions built with IIT-Bombay researchers, supporting governments and institutions in making adoption decisions based on quality assessments.
• Foundational Learning Public Goods Portal A public goods portal hosting FLN assessments, playbooks, and implementation guides to support the EdTech ecosystem and FLN mission implementation.
• Google.org AI Literacy Initiative (Saheli AI tutor) A Google.org-supported initiative to improve AI literacy among 5 million students, parents, and educators in India over four years, including AI curricula in schools and an AI-powered tutor called Saheli for early childhood education.
• EdTech Lab A partnership with IDinsight that makes evaluations of technology use in education outcomes easy, helping scale solutions and ensure improved learning.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 20% reduction in proportion of non-readers and students unable to perform basic math operations in Bihar DPMU districts
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability7 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.

• Reliance FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 February 2026Reliance Foundation is a Founding Strategic Partner in ShikshaNext initiative (Rs 170 crore). They co-convene AI in Education roundtables with CSF and contribute to India's education transformation efforts.
• AnthropicstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 February 2026AI company Anthropic announced collaboration with CSF to deploy AI models in education sector as part of their India partnerships announced at India AI Impact Summit 2026.
• IndiaAI MissionstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 February 2026CSF supported IndiaAI, along with Digital India Programme, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and Skill India, in collaboration with EkStep Foundation, to release the Education AI Impact Casebook.
• Rocket LearningcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 October 2024Google.org grant includes additional support to Rocket Learning alongside CSF for AI literacy initiatives in India.
• Government of NigeriastrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023MoU signed targeting technology-enabled education in Nigerian schools, part of India-Nigeria digital partnership. Aims to help Nigeria create one million digital-economy jobs by 2025.
• Rocket LearningcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSF supports Rocket Learning's WhatsApp-based platform that sends learning materials to parents and teachers. A randomized control trial is being conducted by J-PAL to study Rocket Learning's impact on student learning outcomes.
• Top ParentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSF supports Top Parent's parent engagement app for foundational learning. Quasi-experimental study conducted with 800 households in Delhi showing impact of parental engagement on learning outcomes.
• ChimplecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSF supports Chimple, a game-based math and language app, including evaluation of its teacher-directed at-home learning model. Used in 75 government schools in Bhojpur, Ghaziabad.
• ConveGeniuscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSF supports ConveGenius's WhatsApp-based conversational AI chatbot for assessment-based remediation addressing learning loss from Covid-19. Internal evaluation with ~1000 students in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
• ThinkZonecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSF partnered with ThinkZone for WhatsApp-based home learning program in Odisha, reaching ~18,000 parents and ~16,000 children. Now being scaled across Odisha state.
• IIT BombaystrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with researchers from IIT-Bombay to build EdTech Tulna, an evaluation index for EdTech solutions supporting governments in adoption decisions.
• IIT Madras (Wadhwani School of Data Science and AI)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to develop AI Literacy Curriculum Framework for AI Samarth initiative, building AI awareness and responsible use among students, parents, and teachers.
• J-PALstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerRandomized Control Trial being conducted by J-PAL (led by Prof. Karthik Muralidharan and Prof. Abhijeet Singh) to study Rocket Learning's impact on student learning outcomes and parent behavior change.
• IDinsightstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for EdTech Lab that makes evaluations of technology in education outcomes easy, helping scale solutions and ensure improved learning.
• Pratham Education FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSF collaborates with Pratham on education initiatives including AI deployments for education as announced by Anthropic at India AI Impact Summit.
• Educational Initiatives (Ei)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSF commissioned Educational Initiatives for evaluation of FLN interventions in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, and collaborated on Mindspark PAL solution pilot in Andhra Pradesh.
• Reliance FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted AI in Education roundtable at Jio Institute in Navi Mumbai with over 50 leaders from philanthropy, EdTech, academia, and private sector as pre-summit event of India AI Impact Summit 2026.
• EkStep FoundationstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSF collaborated with EkStep Foundation on Education AI Impact Casebook launched at India AI Impact Summit 2026, showcasing deployed AI solutions across education sector.
• Government of HaryanacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSF supports Haryana government with procuring effective EdTech solutions for FLN implementation in the state.
• Government of Madhya PradeshcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSF supports Madhya Pradesh government with EdTech procurement and FLN implementation under Mission Ankur.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Pratham Education Foundation: One of India's largest education NGOs, focused on foundational literacy and numeracy across low-income communities. Closest direct peer to CSF in mission (FLN at scale) and operating geography, with overlapping state-government partnerships and similar evidence-led approach.
• Azim Premji Foundation: India's largest education philanthropy, funding systemic school education reform across multiple states. Comparable to CSF in mission (public-system education reform, FLN-adjacent work) and convening power, though with materially larger scale and a longer-running program portfolio.
• EkStep Foundation: India-based technology-enabled education foundation behind Sunbird and DIKSHA infrastructure. Direct peer to CSF in building open-source education public goods and partnering with Indian state governments on tech-mediated learning at scale.
• Reliance Foundation: Corporate philanthropy arm of Reliance Industries and a founding partner of CSF's ShikshaNext initiative. Operates its own large-scale education programs in India, making it both a funder/peer of CSF and a potential strategic alternative for state-government partnerships.
• Michael & Susan Dell Foundation: US-based foundation focused on education, primarily for low-income communities. Direct peer in mission and donor ecosystem — co-funds CSF's ShikshaNext — and operates analogous EdTech-for-underdeserved-children programs in India and the US, often with similar evidence-led approaches.

Broad incumbents

• Tata Trusts: India's largest philanthropic conglomerate with a substantial education portfolio spanning K–12, higher education, and skill development. Operates broadly in the same space as CSF but at a much larger scale and across more diverse themes, making it a broad incumbent rather than a direct FLN competitor.

Emerging players

• British Asian Trust: UK-based foundation running education and livelihoods programs in South Asia, including India. Smaller-scope peer to CSF in geography and education focus, with overlapping donor networks (also listed as a CSF donor).
• Madhi Foundation: India-based education foundation focused on foundational literacy and teacher capacity. Smaller and earlier-stage than CSF but pursues overlapping FLN and teacher-training outcomes, with shared advisors (Shaveta Sharma-Kukreja sits on both advisory boards).

Others

• UNICEF India: UN agency running large-scale education programming in India including foundational learning. Not a foundation competitor but a key ecosystem player — UNICEF co-funds and co-designs FLN interventions with state governments alongside CSF and could be a partner, donor, or alternate implementation route for funders.
• World Bank Education: Multilateral lender and grant-maker financing India's large-scale education reform programs. Ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor — World Bank financing and policy advice frequently shape the same state-government reform agendas where CSF operates its DPMUs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CentralSquareIndia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/central-square-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Central Square Foundation