NASSCOM Foundation

What NASSCOM Foundation does

NASSCOM Foundation is a non-profit organization established in 2001 as the social-impact arm of NASSCOM, the Indian tech industry trade body. The Foundation operates a TechForGood portfolio of six core programs — Digital Literacy, Women Entrepreneurship, Skilling & Employability, Social Innovation, BigTech (NGO Empowerment), and Inclusion — serving marginalized rural communities, rural women entrepreneurs, underserved youth, NGOs, and student innovators across India. Its distribution model relies on a network of 45 Digital Resource Centers in aspirational districts spanning 20 states, university-based Innovation Spaces equipped with IoT/AI/ML/3D-printing tools, five regional offices (Noida HQ plus Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai), and ground-level implementation partners.

The Foundation's underlying technology is not proprietary product software but rather a curated deployment of TechForGood infrastructure: Digital Resource Centers run by trained Digital Ambassadors deliver digital literacy and e-governance training; the BigTech program distributes subsidized enterprise software (Adobe Creative Cloud, Zoho One, Microsoft 365) to 500+ NGOs via the TechSoup partnership; the Horizon platform (co-developed with CGI) provides an AI-powered Bayesian assessment tool for partner NGOs; and Innovation Spaces under the Cisco ThingQbator, Ciena Spaces, and JanCARE programs deliver prototyping and seed-funding infrastructure. Cumulative reported impact includes 750,000+ lives via Digital Literacy, 500,000+ via BigTech, 160,000+ youth skilled, 33,000+ women entrepreneurs supported, and 2,500+ persons with disabilities reached.

The business model is CSR-funded non-profit operations. Revenue (not publicly disclosed) flows primarily from corporate CSR grants and partnerships — named anchor funders include IBM, Cisco, Ciena, Adobe, Google, Microsoft, NetApp, Mphasis, Vodafone Idea Foundation, CGI, State Street, ONDC, and historically the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation ($4.78M grant in 2016). All beneficiary-facing programs are free of charge; the only paid touchpoint is the annual TechForGood India Conclave (INR 3,200 delegate fee). Pricing is therefore not a revenue lever — instead, the model monetizes donor CSR budgets through program execution, pro-bono technology deployment via MyKartavya corporate volunteering, and subsidized software distribution.

Name

NASSCOM Foundation

Legal name

NASSCOM Foundation

Website

https://nasscomfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NASSCOM Foundation is the non-profit social-impact arm of NASSCOM, running a TechForGood portfolio — digital literacy, women entrepreneurship, skilling, social innovation, and NGO empowerment — across 45 aspirational districts in India, funded by corporate CSR grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Impact Programs

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Educational Support Services (611710), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Foundations & CSR Grantmaking (BPAGAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

STEM, Digital Literacy & Maker Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAG), Foundational Computer & Device Literacy (EDAAAIAA), Digital Development & ICT4D / GovTech Technical Assistance (BPADAEAL)

Keywords

• Digital literacy training
• Social innovation programs
• Women entrepreneurship initiatives
• Corporate CSR partnerships
• NGO technology empowerment

Headquarters

HQ city

New Delhi

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) Funding: As a not-for-profit representing the Indian tech industry, NASSCOM Foundation's primary funding comes from corporate CSR partnerships. Companies like IBM, Ciena, NetApp, Mphasis, CGI, Adobe, Cisco, and others provide funding, grants, and in-kind technology contributions to co-develop and run social impact programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

NASSCOM Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that delivers TechForGood programs across India, including digital literacy for rural communities, women entrepreneurship support, skilling and employability for underserved youth, social innovation through university makerspaces, and subsidized enterprise software access for NGOs via its BigTech program. Programs are funded and co-developed through corporate CSR partnerships with technology companies and delivered via Digital Resource Centers in aspirational districts, university Innovation Spaces, and implementation partners.

Product overview

NASSCOM Foundation is a not-for-profit organization representing the Indian tech industry, operating as a unified platform of TechForGood initiatives rather than a modular software product. Its core portfolio consists of six interconnected programs: Digital Literacy Programme (empowering rural communities with digital skills), Women Entrepreneurship Programme (supporting women entrepreneurs with digital and financial literacy), Skilling & Employability Programme (training marginalized youth in advanced tech skills), Social Innovation Programme (fostering tech-driven development through Innovation Spaces including ThingQbator, Ciena Spaces, and JanCARE), BigTech Programme (providing discounted enterprise software like Adobe and Zoho to NGOs), and Inclusion Programme (promoting diversity in tech through W2RT and Ability in Tech). The organization also runs MyKartavya for corporate volunteering and connects with government missions like T-AIM for AI-driven social impact.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BigTech Programme: Technology donation program that helps NGOs access premium software at significantly reduced costs, enabling NGOs to maximize impact while staying cost-effective.
• MyKartavya
• Cisco ThinQbator
• Ciena Spaces
• जनCARE Innovation Challenge
• Digital Literacy Programme
• Women Entrepreneurship Programme
• Skilling & Employability Initiative
• Social Innovation Programme
• Inclusion Programme

Products and services

• Digital Literacy Programme Empowers rural and marginalized communities with digital literacy, e-governance access, and digital skill building through the DigiSakshar initiative, delivered via Digital Resource Centers staffed by trained Digital Ambassadors.
• Women Entrepreneurship Programme Empowers rural women entrepreneurs with digital and financial literacy, entrepreneurship training, e-commerce onboarding (Flipkart, Amazon, Meesho, ONDC), and market linkages to sustain and grow their businesses.
• Skilling & Employability Programme Bridges the skills-employability divide for marginalized youth and women in tier 2 and tier 3 cities through digital skill-based training in Data Science, Cyber Security, IoT, Data Analytics, Python, and Java Full Stack.
• Social Innovation Programme Fosters technology-driven inclusive development by supporting social innovation through Innovation Spaces (ThingQbator with Cisco, Ciena Spaces), JanCARE Innovation Challenge for healthcare startups, and ClimateTech Challenge.
• BigTech Programme Technology donation program providing NGOs access to premium enterprise software (Adobe Creative Cloud, Acrobat Pro, Zoho One, Microsoft 365) at significantly subsidized rates via TechSoup partnership, along with pro-bono tech volunteering support.
• Inclusion Programme Mainstreams inclusion in the tech industry through Nasscom Women Wizards Rule Tech (W2RT), Ability in Tech initiative for Persons with Disabilities, and Nasscom Global Inclusion Summit (GIS).
• MyKartavya Corporate Volunteering Skill-based volunteering program that connects corporate professionals from partner companies with NGOs to provide pro-bono tech expertise, acting as liaison for over 500 NGOs and contributing 12,000+ volunteering hours annually.

Quantifiable outcome

• 750,000+ lives impacted through Digital Literacy Programme
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Mphasis FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 May 2026Mphasis Foundation partnered with NASSCOM Foundation to set up an AI and Robotics Laboratory at Sahyadri College of Engineering and Management in Mangaluru. The lab aims to bridge the academia-industry gap with long-term goals including patents, research publications, and student-led start-ups.
• CienacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 May 2026NASSCOM Foundation and Ciena launched TechForChange, a CSR-supported initiative targeting student innovators at the earliest stages of idea development. The program provides seed funding, technical mentoring, and a platform (InnovateX) to scale student-led social innovation. The Ciena Spaces project also provides Rs 5 lakh seed funding to student teams and technical mentoring to 51 students across 24 teams.
• ONDC (Open Network for Digital Commerce)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 December 2025NASSCOM Foundation partnered with ONDC to integrate women-led businesses in Karnataka into e-commerce markets. The program integrated 200 women entrepreneurs across 22 districts, providing training and support to enhance digital, financial, and market access skills, enabling them to begin selling online.
• IBMcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 November 2025NASSCOM Foundation partnered with IBM to provide free digital skills training to over 87,000 marginalized youth across India through the IBM SkillsBuild programme. The initiative addresses the digital divide by providing free courses and practical experience in emerging technologies to enhance India's digital workforce.
• NetAppcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 November 2025NetApp and NASSCOM Foundation announced a multi-year partnership to launch a skilling program in AI and Data Science aimed at underserved communities in India, particularly in Karnataka and Delhi. The program includes extensive technical and soft skills training with emphasis on industry relevance and employability support.
• CGIcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCGI supports NASSCOM Foundation's Digital Empowerment of NGOs initiative by connecting industry experts with nonprofits to develop customized digital solutions. CGI volunteers contributed 12,000+ hours supporting NGOs, implementing tech solutions for 9 NGOs. For Lokarpan specifically, CGI developed the Horizon AI-powered student assessment platform.
• AdobecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdobe partners with NASSCOM Foundation through the Adobe Pro Bono Residency Program and BigTech initiative, providing NGOs access to Adobe Creative Cloud and Acrobat Pro at subsidized rates. Volunteering consultants from Adobe design cost-effective solutions for NGOs like Lotus Petal Foundation.
• CiscocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNASSCOM Foundation and Cisco co-created the ThingQbator project, establishing five innovation spaces in Indian universities where students transform ideas into IoT prototypes addressing local challenges. In its fourth year, the project has impacted 30,000 users with 33 teams participating in the startup track.
• GooglecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGoogle.org supported the Women Entrepreneurship Programme, under which one lakh rural women received entrepreneurship skilling. More than 1,500 women entrepreneurs were trained as master trainers who collectively train others.
• MicrosoftcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMicrosoft is listed as a partner of NASSCOM Foundation, providing technology solutions and support for digital literacy and NGO empowerment programs.
• Vodafone Idea FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVodafone Idea Foundation partners through the Connecting for Good initiative, providing technology grants to address resource constraints for NGOs. Programs include MyAmbar for women's safety, DigiSakshar for universal education, and ManagR for operational efficiency.
• State StreetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState Street supports the 'Empowering Abilities Through Skills Program,' a program for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) that has been a beacon of hope for over 225 PwDs across Karnataka, West Bengal, and Odisha.
• FirstsourceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirstsource partnered with NASSCOM Foundation to provide digital training to rural women entrepreneurs.
• AccentureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccenture is listed as a partner of NASSCOM Foundation, contributing to TechForGood initiatives.
• BIRACminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNASSCOM Foundation works with BIRAC (Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council) to deploy healthcare innovations that work in low-resource settings, particularly in rural areas, through the Social Innovations Acceleration Programme.
• Telangana AI Mission (T-AIM)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNASSCOM Foundation and T-AIM co-launched 'The Grand Challenge on Ideas and Innovation' focusing on education, sustainability, and health through AI. The Forest AI Grand Challenge addresses forest preservation in Amrabad and Jannaram regions.
• TechSoup / BigTech PartnercoreTechnology or IntegrationBigTech is the sole partner in India for TechSoup, an international organization that helps build the digital capacity of social impact organizations by providing access to enterprise software at subsidized costs.
• KDEM (Karnataka Digital Economy Mission)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKDEM partnered with NASSCOM Foundation for the AI and Robotics Laboratory at Sahyadri College of Engineering and Management.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Tata Trusts: India's largest philanthropic foundation, supporting education, healthcare, livelihoods and digital inclusion. Directly comparable as a large corporate-affiliated foundation funding and running social-impact programs with similar CSR-style mandate.
• Infosys Foundation: The CSR arm of Infosys, supporting education, rural development, women empowerment, and arts. Closely mirrors NASSCOM Foundation as a tech-company philanthropic vehicle focusing on digital literacy, skilling and rural development.
• Wipro Foundation: CSR-focused philanthropic arm of Wipro running education, skilling and community programs in India. Highly comparable as a tech-industry corporate foundation with overlapping digital literacy and employability mandates.
• Reliance Foundation: Reliance Group's philanthropic arm running large-scale education, health, rural transformation and women empowerment programs in India. Comparable in scale, CSR-funded model, and digital-inclusion focus.
• Pratham Education Foundation: One of India's largest NGOs focused on education and digital literacy for underserved children and youth. Directly comparable as a large nonprofit running scalable education and skilling programs across India.
• Quest Alliance: India-focused nonprofit delivering 21st-century skills, digital literacy and employability training to young people. Comparable target beneficiary (underserved youth), technology-enabled skilling model, and corporate-funded delivery.

Peers

• Michael & Susan Dell Foundation (India operations):

Emerging players

• Google.org India: Philanthropic arm of Google funding nonprofits and social enterprises globally, including Indian partners for women entrepreneurship and digital skilling (e.g., support to NASSCOM Foundation's Women Entrepreneurship Programme). Comparable digital-literacy and women-empowerment focus and partner-driven delivery model.
• CSRBox: India-based CSR advisory and impact platform that helps companies design, implement and measure CSR programs with nonprofit partners. Comparable as an intermediary in the same corporate-CSR-to-NGO value chain, though operating as a for-profit services firm.

Broad incumbents

• NASSCOM (parent trade body): Parent industry body of NASSCOM Foundation, representing the Indian IT industry. Relevant as the umbrella organization providing brand, network and corporate access that the Foundation leverages for CSR partnerships.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NASSCOMfdn
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@nasscomfoundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/nasscomfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/92792
• Instagraminstagram.com/nasscomfdn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments3 records

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Frequently asked questions about NASSCOM Foundation