The Akshaya Patra Foundation

What The Akshaya Patra Foundation does

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a not-for-profit organization headquartered in Bengaluru, India, founded in 2000, and operates the world's largest school lunch program. It implements the Government of India's PM POSHAN (Mid-Day Meal) Programme through a public-private partnership model, serving 2.35 million children daily across 16 Indian states and 3 Union Territories via 25,768 government and government-aided schools. The foundation has cumulatively served more than 5 billion meals since inception, with a stated target to reach 3 million children daily by 2030.

The foundation's operational backbone is a network of 78 centralized kitchens—55 of which are ISO 22000:2018 certified for food safety—using steam-based industrial cooking technology (double-jacketed steam-operated sambar cauldrons, rice cauldrons, gas-operated curry machines) with briquette-fueled boilers for fuel resilience. Meals are produced under a strict 4-hour cook-to-consumption timeline and delivered daily to schools. The product portfolio extends beyond the flagship mid-day meal to include the Morning Nutrition Programme (Delhi), Anganwadi feeding for young children, disaster relief feeding, scholarships, and programs for homeless mothers. Recent sustainability investments include semi-solar-powered kitchens and electric meal-delivery vehicles.

The foundation operates a diversified revenue model with three primary streams: (1) individual donations starting at ₹500 (eligible for 50% tax deduction under Section 80G), with structured tiers from ₹1,500 to feed one child annually to ₹90,000 for 60 children; (2) corporate CSR funding from partners including Deutsche Bank (since 2014, with 100M meals milestone), Canara Bank, and Microfinish Group; and (3) government partnership grants under PM POSHAN. The foundation is governed by a Board of Trustees with CEO Shridhar Venkat and Co-Founder/Vice-Chairman Chanchalapathi Dasa, and has international fundraising affiliates in the USA, UK, Canada, and Singapore. It employs between 5,001 and 10,000 people and maintains regional offices across major Indian metros.

Name

The Akshaya Patra Foundation

Legal name

The Akshaya Patra Foundation

Website

https://akshayapatra.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is an India-based not-for-profit that operates the world's largest school lunch program, serving 2.35 million children daily across 16 states through 78 centralized kitchens under the Government of India's PM POSHAN scheme, funded via donations, corporate CSR, and government grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

School Nutrition Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (624210), Community Food Services (62421)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Services Administration (Meal Eligibility, POS, Nutrition Compliance) (EDAJAHAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

School Feeding & Social Protection Partnerships (Conditional Cash Transfers, etc.) (EDADALAL), School Feeding & Child Nutrition Programs (BPADAJAD), Meal Program Compliance & Administration (NSLP/SBP, Reimbursements) (EDAEAEAC), Nutrition & Food Security (Global Health) NGOs (HLAJAKAH)

Keywords

• Mid-day meal program
• School nutrition services
• Hunger elimination programs
• CSR feeding initiatives
• PM POSHAN implementation

Headquarters

HQ city

Bangalore

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute funds to support mid-day meals. Donations above ₹500 qualify for 50% tax deduction under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act. Donors can give one-time or monthly recurring donations starting from ₹500 minimum.
2. Corporate CSR Funding: Corporate partners fund kitchen construction, equipment, and operations as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives under Indian law. Partners include Deutsche Bank, Canara Bank, and Microfinish Group.
3. Government Partnership: The organization works within the Government of India's PM POSHAN scheme, implementing the mid-day meal program in partnership with central and state governments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that operates the world's largest school lunch program, implementing the PM POSHAN (Mid-Day Meal) Programme in partnership with the Government of India. It prepares and delivers nutritious mid-day meals to children in government and government-aided schools through 78 industrial-scale centralized kitchens across 16 states and 3 Union Territories, serving 2.35 million children daily. The foundation also runs complementary feeding programs including the Morning Nutrition Programme, Anganwadi Feeding, Scholarship Programme, Feeding Homeless Mothers, and Disaster Relief Feeding.

Product overview

The Akshaya Patra Foundation operates a multi-program feeding ecosystem built around its core PM POSHAN (Mid-Day Meal) Programme, which serves 2.35 million children daily through 78+ centralised and decentralised kitchens across 16 states and 3 union territories. The organization has expanded beyond its flagship school lunch program to include the Morning Nutrition Programme (providing morning energy snacks to students), Anganwadi Feeding for young children, Scholarship Programme for educational support, Feeding Homeless Mothers for vulnerable populations, and Relief Feeding for disaster/COVID emergencies. The operational backbone is a network of industrial-scale automated kitchens using steam-based cooking technology, which the organization is progressively upgrading with solar power and electric delivery vehicles for sustainability. The portfolio functions as an integrated nutrition security system targeting different populations and meal occasions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PM POSHAN Programme (Mid-Day Meal Programme) Flagship school lunch program implemented in partnership with the Government of India, providing nutritious mid-day meals to children in government and government-aided schools across India to eliminate classroom hunger and support the Right to Education.
• Morning Nutrition Programme A morning nutrition initiative providing ready-to-eat energy snacks to schoolchildren to bridge nutritional gaps early in the day and supplement mid-day meals.
• Anganwadi Feeding
• Feeding Homeless Mothers Social welfare initiative providing nutritious meals to homeless mothers, extending the organization's feeding mission beyond school children.
• Scholarship Programme Educational support program providing scholarships to deserving students, supporting their academic journey beyond nutrition.
• Relief Feeding (Disaster Relief & COVID Feeding) Emergency feeding program providing meals during natural disasters and crises, including COVID-19 relief operations.
• Centralised Kitchen Operations Industrial-scale automated kitchen operations using steam-based cooking technology with briquettes, double-jacketed steam-operated sambar cauldrons, rice cauldrons, and gas-operated curry machines under a strict 4-hour cook-to-consumption timeline.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5 billion+ meals served since 2000
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• World Food MovementcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 January 2026World Food Movement, an organization founded by Akshaya Patra's creators, partnered to expand the feeding model globally. The partnership organized the Davos 2026 initiative and aims to serve one million meals annually across the US by 2030, addressing food insecurity among college students in New York, New Jersey, Boston, and California.
• World Economic ForumminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 29 January 2026Akshaya Patra set up a food kiosk at the WEF Annual Meeting 2026 in Davos, Switzerland, serving freshly cooked meals to over a thousand visitors daily as a promotional initiative to advocate for food and nutrition security for children.
• Government of IndiacoreOthersAkshaya Patra operates within a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model with the Government of India, implementing the PM POSHAN (Mid-Day Meal) Programme. The organization serves 2.35 million children daily under this scheme across 16 states and 3 Union Territories.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Naandi Foundation: Indian non-profit that operated the largest school midday meal program alongside Akshaya Patra before exiting; both organizations competed for state MDM contracts and shared the government-anchored centralized kitchen model for school feeding.
• Mary's Meals: Global school feeding nonprofit serving daily meals to over 2 million children across multiple countries; comparable in mission, beneficiary scale, and donor-funded school lunch model, though focused primarily on Africa and Asia outside India.
• ISKCON Food Relief Foundation (Annamrita): Sister ISKCON-affiliated nonprofit operating mega-kitchen school meal programs globally; shares Akshaya Patra's centralized kitchen model, ISKCON origins, and school lunch program focus across multiple countries.

Broad incumbents

• Feeding America: Largest US hunger-relief nonprofit operating a nationwide network of food banks; comparable as a large-scale food assistance nonprofit serving millions of beneficiaries, but focused on food distribution to member food banks rather than direct school meal preparation.
• No Kid Hungry (Share Our Strength): US-focused anti-hunger campaign tackling childhood food insecurity through school meals, advocacy, and grant-making; comparable in school-meal advocacy mission and donor-engagement model, though primarily grant-making rather than direct kitchen operations.
• World Food Programme (School Feeding): UN agency running the world's largest school feeding operations across 80+ countries; overlaps with Akshaya Patra in school nutrition but operates at a global, government-to-government scale rather than as an implementing NGO.

Emerging players

• Feeding India (Zomato-affiliated): Indian hunger-relief nonprofit focused on surplus food redistribution and feeding underserved communities; shares the food-security mission but uses a logistics/donation-matching model rather than centralized kitchen cooking.

Others

• Global Child Nutrition Foundation (GCNF): International nonprofit focused on expanding school meal programs globally through advocacy, research, and capacity building; comparable mission in advancing school feeding as an education and nutrition intervention, but functions as an enabling/supporting organization rather than a direct operator.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/akshayapatra
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheAkshayapatraFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-akshaya-patra-foundation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Akshaya Patra Foundation