What Rainmatter Foundation does

Rainmatter Foundation is a Bengaluru-based non-profit (Section 8 Company under the Companies Act 2013) founded in 2019 with sponsorship from Zerodha, India's largest stockbroker. It operates as a grant-making platform for climate action, environmental restoration, and climate-linked livelihoods across India, having committed $200 million in funding to individuals and organizations working in forests, water, soil, farm, food systems, ecology, energy, and transport. The foundation disburses unrestricted, multi-year (3-5 year) grants to a curated network of 20+ partner organizations spanning conservation NGOs (Nature Conservation Foundation, Biome Environmental Trust, SayTrees), climate-tech and data startups (Blue Sky Analytics, Farmers for Forests), policy think tanks (CSTEP, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy), media labs (The Morning Context, FactorDaily, Citizen Matters), and community-driven outfits (Reap Benefit, Waste Warriors, SwaYYam, Timbaktu Collective). It does not sell products or services; its revenue model is purely philanthropic disbursement funded by Zerodha, with a parallel venture-style investment vehicle called Rainmatter Capital providing equity-style support to climate-aligned startups.

The foundation's technology footprint is intentionally lean: its primary digital asset is Grove, an open public forum at grove.rainmatter.org that functions as a community-building and discovery layer for the Indian climate ecosystem. Distribution and engagement run through monthly blog digests, a listmonk-powered newsletter, downloadable research publications (including the October 2025 Deloitte co-authored State of Climate Response in India report), and event participation such as Climate Asia's Annual Conference 2026 and the Peakst8 Festival with Fittr. Rainmatter supports technology development inside its partner network rather than developing technology centrally, with downstream beneficiaries including satellite-based environmental data tools (Blue Sky Analytics), zero-waste event technology (Skrap / Zerocircle), drone-based tree counting (Farmers for Forests), and open-source water accounting tools (Jaltol by ATREE).

The go-to-market motion is community-led and partnership-driven: Rainmatter prefers to initiate contact with prospective partner organizations rather than rely solely on inbound applications, runs an initial-enquiry form at forms.rainmatter.org for inbound interest, and operates its programs horizontally across Conservation & Restoration, Rural Livelihoods & Climate Resilience, Urban Climate Action, Energy & Materials, Ecosystem Messaging & Climate Communication, and Sustainable Building & Construction. Sameer Shisodia heads the foundation, bringing a tech-industry background and sustainable-farming experience from Coorg. The organization is registered in Karnataka (CIN U72900KA2016NPL093525), operates a native-sapling nursery in Harohalli near Bengaluru, and is funded entirely from Zerodha's capital with no external institutional investors.

Name

Rainmatter Foundation

Legal name

Rainmatter Foundation

Website

https://rainmatter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rainmatter Foundation is a Bengaluru-based non-profit, founded in 2019 and sponsored by Zerodha, that channels multi-year grants and fellowships to a network of 20+ Indian organizations working on climate action, ecological restoration, water security, and climate-resilient livelihoods across forests, energy, agriculture, and urban systems.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Climate Philanthropy and Environmental Grant-making

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

Keywords

• Climate philanthropy
• Environmental grants
• Ecosystem restoration
• Climate fellowships
• Non-profit foundation

Headquarters

HQ city

Bengaluru

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding and Philanthropic Disbursements: Rainmatter Foundation is a non-profit that funds other organizations and individuals working in climate action, environmental restoration, and livelihoods. It operates exclusively through disbursements of grants, fellowships, and investments — not through commercial revenue generation. The foundation does not charge recipients for its funding programs. Its own operational funding is sourced from Zerodha, its founding sponsor.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Rainmatter Foundation is a Bengaluru-based non-profit (Section 8 Company) that disburses multi-year unrestricted grants, fellowships, and impact investments to NGOs, climate-tech startups, research institutions, and individuals working on climate action, ecological restoration, water security, sustainable agriculture, urban sustainability, and climate storytelling across India. The foundation operates the Grove public online forum for ecosystem collaboration and the Rainmatter Capital investment vehicle for climate-aligned startups, and has committed $200 million in total funding backed by Zerodha.

Product overview

Rainmatter Foundation is a non-profit grant-making organization focused on climate action and environmental restoration in India, rather than a product company. Founded in 2019, it provides funding, grants, and fellowships to organizations and individuals working in climate and environment sectors including forests, water, soil, farm, food systems, ecology, energy, and transport. The organization operates a public forum called Grove for ecosystem collaboration, along with providing resources and publications on climate topics. It does not offer a unified software product or platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Grove: An open forum/platform for the climate ecosystem community to engage, share ideas, and collaborate on climate challenges

Products and services

• Climate Grants and Fellowships Program Multi-year (3–5 year) unrestricted grants and fellowships provided to climate-focused organizations and individuals across India, supporting conservation, restoration, sustainable agriculture, water security, urban climate action, climate storytelling, and related fields. Recipients do not pay for the funding; the foundation proactively reaches out to organizations it wants to learn from and also reviews inbound applications.
• Grove Public Online Forum Free, self-serve public community platform where climate practitioners, partner organizations, and the broader ecosystem can register, participate in discussions, share updates, and engage with the Rainmatter community.
• Rainmatter Capital Investment vehicle backing climate-aligned startups (e.g., environmental data, zero-waste solutions, climate education, biodegradable materials, fintech ecosystem companies such as Smallcase, Streak, Sensibull, Learnapp, Goldenpi, Digio, Quicko, and Finshots).

Quantifiable outcome

• 85,000+ saplings raised at a single partner nursery (Say Trees, Kolar)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

28 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Deloitte IndiacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 October 2025Deloitte India collaborated with Rainmatter Foundation on the State of Climate Response in India report, launched on 30 October 2025. The report covers climate indicators, interconnected risks, household and corporate surveys, case studies, and a framework for action.
• Biome Environmental TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBiome Environmental Trust works at the intersection of policy, research, public engagement, and community action on land use, water systems, and energy in Bengaluru. Rainmatter supports Biome's work on the Million Wells for Bengaluru campaign and water literacy programs.
• Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCF is one of India's leading conservation organizations with long-term programs across Western Ghats, Eastern Himalaya, High Altitude, and Oceans & Coasts. Rainmatter partnered with NCF in 2021 and supports its institutional strengthening and conservation research. NCF also launched the Ecological Restoration Alliance with Rainmatter's support.
• CSTEP (Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSTEP is a technology policy think tank. Listed as a partner on Rainmatter's website, working in areas relevant to climate policy and sustainable technology.
• Dakshin FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDakshin Foundation focuses on fisheries, coastal ecosystems, and community-based natural resource management. Rainmatter partnered with Dakshin in late 2021 for scoping studies on dried fish and fish meal value chains.
• Farmers for ForestscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFarmers for Forests (FFF) develops technology tools for ecological monitoring, including drone-based tree counting algorithms for measuring changes in tree cover. FFF also runs reforestation pilots in Maharashtra's Raigad and Gadchiroli districts.
• HumeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner on Rainmatter's website. Hume works in the climate and sustainability space.
• Reap BenefitcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReap Benefit runs the Solve Ninja Leadership Accelerator program to groom young civic problem-solvers, develops civic tech tools including a Solve Ninja chatbot, and conducts waste and civic engagement campaigns. Rainmatter has supported Reap Benefit since 2021.
• SayTreescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSayTrees is a tree-planting organization that runs large nursery operations (85,000+ saplings in Kolar, Karnataka) and community planting drives. Rainmatter has partnered with SayTrees for sapling distribution and planting programs.
• Waste WarriorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWaste Warriors conducts door-to-door dry waste collection in remote Uttarakhand villages near wildlife reserves. Rainmatter supported Waste Warriors' rural waste management programs including community mobilization and material recovery facility design.
• Blue Sky AnalyticscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlue Sky Analytics provides satellite-based environmental data including air quality measurements and real-time GHG estimates. Rainmatter partnered with Blue Sky Analytics to make satellite data more accessible to non-profits, offering one year of free API access.
• Terra (online climate school)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTerra.do is an online climate school training climate entrepreneurs on climate science, policy, business, and social justice. Terra launched multiple new programs including on EVs and held job fairs with 1,300+ software professionals and 35 climate tech companies.
• AkshayakalpaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAkshayakalpa is a sustainable dairy enterprise that planted 500+ saplings along a one-kilometer stretch near its factory in Tiptur, Karnataka, sourced from Rainmatter's nursery.
• Skrap (Zerocircle Alternatives)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSkrap (operating as Zerocircle Alternatives) drives zero-waste event management, working with large events including NH7 Weekender, SBI Green Marathon, and IPL waste management. Winner of the India Plastic Challenge 2021 startup category.
• FittrminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFittr is a fitness technology platform that powered the Peakst8 Festival organized by Rainmatter in Pune, promoting inclusive fitness and preventive healthcare as a community health initiative.
• Rainmatter CapitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRainmatter Capital is the investment arm of the Rainmatter ecosystem. It invests in startups working in climate-aligned areas, complementing the foundation's grant-making. Notable investments include Smallcase, Streak, Sensibull, Learnapp, Goldenpi, Digio, Quicko, and Finshots in the fintech space, and climate startups separately.
• Civis (community-driven non-profit platform)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCivis is a community platform enabling citizen participation in lawmaking. Rainmatter supports Civis through a grant to produce the Climate Voices Handbook — a guide for citizens to engage in India's environmental law-making and public consultations.
• Citizen Matters (Oorvani Media)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCitizen Matters is an urban affairs publication supported by Rainmatter through a 3-year grant for a team focused on research and stories around climate and ecology in the urban context, with an open data platform.
• The Morning Context (Chaos section)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRainmatter provided a 3-year grant to The Morning Context's Chaos section covering environment, climate change, and conflict — stories available outside the paywall for wider reach.
• FactorDaily (nonprofit media lab)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFactorDaily is a nonprofit media lab focused on technology, science, and society. Rainmatter provided a 3-year small grant to support deep-dive stories at the intersection of climate, ecology, and technology.
• ATREE (Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRainmatter provided grant support to ATREE for water situation assessment across six locations in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. ATREE's CSEI (Centre for Social and Environmental Innovation) also developed tools including Jaltol, an open-source water accounting tool.
• SwaYYamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwaYYam, led by permaculturist Malvikaa Solanki, runs the 1000 Tree Project at Yelachatti near Bandipur, turning parched farmlands into thriving permaculture sites through farmer collectives. Supported by Rainmatter since 2017.
• Timbaktu CollectiveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTimbaktu Collective works on community conservation and agroecology. Rainmatter supported the development of a responsible eco-tourism campsite and community conservation programs.
• Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCWS conducts conservation research across the Western Ghats, runs Wild Shaale (conservation education for rural school children), and implements the Adopt-a-PHC medical aid program for primary health centres near wildlife reserves.
• JanaagrahaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJanaagraha focuses on urban governance and civic engagement. Rainmatter began onboarding Janaagraha as a partner in 2021 to address urban systemic lock-ins in climate action.
• Uttarayan WildlifeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUttarayan Wildlife is working on elephant corridor conservation in south Bengal, conducting biodiversity surveys and establishing a six-acre nursery in Ranibund for local agroforestry and conservation.
• Vidhi Centre for Legal PolicyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVidhi Centre for Legal Policy worked on legal challenges in regulating exotic species in India, following a review of the Ministry of Environment's advisory on CITES species declarations.
• ZeroCircleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerZeroCircle is pioneering the use of seaweed as a biodegradable packaging material. It was announced as a winner in the startup category of the India Plastic Challenge 2021, a Union government platform for reducing single-use plastics.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Oak Foundation: International grantmaker funding environment, climate, and conservation initiatives globally. Comparable as a major private foundation with environment as a core program area, though broader thematic and geographic scope than Rainmatter.
• IKEA Foundation: Major global philanthropic foundation funding climate action, renewable energy, and sustainable livelihoods across emerging markets including India. Comparable as a large climate-focused grantmaker with programs intersecting Rainmatter's themes (livelihoods, energy transition), though at global scale.
• Bloomberg Philanthropies: Global philanthropic vehicle funding climate action, energy transition, and city-level sustainability initiatives. Comparable as a large, founder-backed climate funder with significant research and convening capacity (e.g., C40), though broader and global.
• Bezos Earth Fund: One of the world's largest dedicated climate philanthropies (~$10B commitment), funding restoration, monitoring, and climate solutions globally. Comparable as a major climate funder, though broader in scope, global rather than India-focused, and operating at vastly larger scale.
• Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF): Major global climate and development funder with significant commitments to climate mitigation, energy transition, and adaptation. Comparable as a large, well-capitalized climate-focused private foundation, though with global rather than India-specific scope.

Direct peers

• Wipro Foundation: Corporate-backed Indian philanthropic foundation supporting ecology, education, and community development with a place-based, multi-year approach. Comparable to Rainmatter as a corporate-sponsored Indian grantmaker with overlapping thematic areas (ecology, water, sustainability) and similar founding ethos.
• EdelGive Foundation: Indian philanthropic foundation funding education, livelihoods, and climate-resilience programs with a multi-year, capacity-building approach. Comparable to Rainmatter in funding philosophy, geographic focus (India), and partner ecosystem-building model, though with broader thematic scope beyond climate.
• Tata Trusts: India's largest philanthropic foundation, with significant commitments across climate, environment, water, and rural livelihoods. Directly comparable as a major India-based grantmaker addressing many of the same themes as Rainmatter (water security, conservation, rural development), though operating at much larger scale.
• Climate Works Foundation: Global climate philanthropy platform that funds high-impact climate mitigation and adaptation initiatives across geographies and sectors. Comparable to Rainmatter as a dedicated climate funder, though with global rather than India-only geographic scope.

Emerging players

• Dasra: Indian strategic philanthropy foundation that supports NGOs and social enterprises through capacity building, research, and funder collaboration. Comparable as an India-based philanthropic platform building ecosystems of partner organizations, with overlapping focus areas in environment and livelihoods, though not exclusively climate-focused.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rainmatter-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments7 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rainmatter Foundation