Mahila Housing Trust

Name

Mahila Housing Trust

Legal name

Mahila Housing Trust

Website

https://mahilahousingtrust.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development and Climate Resilience Services

NAICS

Other Community Housing Services (624229), Community Housing Services (62422)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Infrastructure, Housing & Community Development (BPAGABAL)

Keywords

• Community development services
• Climate resilience programs
• Affordable housing finance
• Water sanitation access
• Slum upgrading infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

Ahmedabad

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: MHT operates as a nonprofit organization funded through grants from international organizations, government programs, and development partners
2. Government Contracts: Partnerships with municipal corporations and government bodies for implementing urban development and climate resilience programs
3. CSR Funding: Corporate Social Responsibility contributions from companies for community development projects

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Mahila Housing Trust (MHT) is a grassroots non-profit development organization that delivers climate resilience, affordable housing, water and sanitation, and livelihood programs for women in urban informal settlements across India. The organization develops women's grassroots institutions and connects them with local governments to co-design pro-poor services including Heat Action Plans, cool roof interventions, cooling infrastructure, microlending for housing, and land rights support. Services are delivered free of cost to beneficiaries through a network of Community Action Groups and are funded by grants, government contracts, and CSR contributions.

Product overview

Mahila Housing Trust (MHT) operates as a grassroots development organization offering a portfolio of climate resilience and habitat improvement products and services. The core offerings include Heat Action Plans developed collaboratively with municipal governments for multiple Indian cities (Jaipur, Varanasi, Churu, Jodhpur), physical cooling infrastructure solutions including India's first Cool Bus Stop and Net Zero Cooling Stations, and research publications such as the Cool Roof Research Study. MHT also provides parametric insurance pilots for heat protection, mobile applications (MHT Samvad App, MHT Jagruti App) for community engagement, and maintains a comprehensive Knowledge Hub with resources spanning annual reports, case studies, and training materials. The organization focuses on women-led development across urban informal settlements, combining technical expertise with grassroots mobilization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Karmika: Construction worker training program
• MHT Samvad App
• MHT Jagruti App
• Rani Mistry

Products and services

• Heat Action Plans Comprehensive Heat Action Plans developed collaboratively with municipal corporations for Indian cities including Jaipur, Varanasi, Churu, and Jodhpur. Each plan integrates ward-level heat vulnerability mapping, future climate projections, community-led interventions, and coordinated responses across local, district, and state authorities to protect residents from extreme heat.
• India's First Cool Bus Stop Climate-resilient public transport infrastructure launched in Ahmedabad at Lal Darwaja on March 18, 2025, equipped with a High-Pressure Mist System providing energy-efficient cooling relief to over 6 lakh commuters during summer. Serves students, daily-wage workers, and vulnerable communities waiting at the bus stop, and sets a benchmark for climate-resilient public spaces.
• Net Zero Cooling Station Solar-powered cooling station installed as a pilot CSR project in Jaipur in partnership with Jaipur Municipal Corporation. Features mist fans, khus curtains, drinking water, and first-aid facilities operating from 7am to 5:30pm, providing free relief from extreme heat to urban poor and informal sector workers.
• Parametric Heat Insurance Pilot Parametric insurance product providing automatic heat wave payouts to women informal workers. When temperatures cross set thresholds (45.27°C, 46.53°C, or 47°C), beneficiaries receive automatic payouts ranging from Rs 100 to Rs 500 per event, capped at Rs 2,000 per season. Nearly 8,500 women informal workers in Delhi and Faridabad are covered.
• MHT Samvad App Mobile application developed by MHT to facilitate communication and engagement with community members and grassroots women leaders. Used by Community Action Group members and self-help groups across MHT's program areas for outreach, coordination, and awareness activities.
• MHT Jagruti App Mobile application enabling community outreach and awareness activities for grassroots women leaders and Community Action Group members. Supports field staff and women's collectives in program delivery, information sharing, and community mobilization across MHT's geographic footprint.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5+ million people positively impacted through MHT programs
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Jaipur Municipal CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 March 2026Solar-powered Net Zero Cooling Station installed on VT Road in Jaipur as pilot CSR project. Station provides free relief from extreme heat featuring mist fans, khus curtains, drinking water, and first-aid facilities from 7am to 5:30pm.
• Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-development of Heat Action Plans for Jaipur, Varanasi, Churu, and Jodhpur. Partnership combines science, data, and community insights for climate-resilient city planning.
• Ahmedabad Municipal CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership since 1994 for Slum Networking Programme, improving water, sanitation, waste management, and roads. Also partnered for India's first Cool Bus Stop.
• Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service (AMTS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for India's first Cool Bus Stop at Lal Darwaja, launched March 18, 2025, protecting commuters from extreme heat with high-pressure mist system.
• IIPHG (Indian Institute of Public Health Gandhinagar)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Varanasi Heat Action Plan development, providing public health expertise.
• Department of Medical Health & Family WelfareminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner in Varanasi Heat Action Plan launch, May 2025.
• HCL FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupports MHT's work in Lucknow under 'Sustainable Sanitation and Behaviour Change' program addressing water, sanitation, and hygiene.
• BRACminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint publication on 'Climate Adaptation Within Livelihoods And Poverty Programmes: Responding to Extreme Heat in India' (2024).
• Vodafone FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld of Difference program hosting volunteers from Vodafone to help share MHT's work through IT and communications expertise.
• GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on 'Housing for All' national workshop and Indo-German Environment Partnership with CEPT University under 'Inclusive Cities' Programme.
• CEPT UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint GIS-based slum mapping and validation, slum atlas preparation, and housing technology studies.
• SEWA (Self-Employed Women's Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMHT is an autonomous organization promoted by SEWA. Long-standing relationship with shared leadership and governance.
• BillionBricksminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on State of the Homeless study for Ahmedabad.
• CEPT UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on State of the Homeless Ahmedabad study combining academic research with community insights.
• Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided training in agricultural practices, value addition, and marketable skills to women's self-help group in Uttarakhand.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Habitat for Humanity India: Habitat for Humanity India is a major affordable housing nonprofit serving low-income families across India through housing construction, incremental housing finance, and slum upgrading programs. It directly overlaps with MHT's housing and land rights work for urban poor communities, though with a broader national footprint and greater construction focus.
• SEWA (Self-Employed Women's Association): MHT's parent organization, SEWA is a trade union and women's empowerment organization reaching over 2.5 million women across India. SEWA shares MHT's women-centric development mission, grassroots mobilization model, and operational geography (Gujarat-headquartered), making it the most directly comparable peer as both the founding sponsor and a sister organization.
• Mahila Samakhya: Mahila Samakhya is a Government of India-supported program for women's empowerment through education and grassroots collectives in rural and urban areas. It shares MHT's women-centric development approach, community action group model, and India-wide operational footprint, making it a close peer in methodology though with a stronger education focus.
• SPARC (Society for Promotion of Area Resource Centres): SPARC is a Mumbai-based nonprofit that works with slum and pavement dweller communities to secure housing, land tenure, and basic services through community-led models. SPARC's focus on urban poor housing, community mobilization, and partnerships with municipal governments for in-situ upgrading closely parallels MHT's model and beneficiary population.
• Shelter Associates: Shelter Associates is a Pune-based nonprofit focused on slum upgrading, sanitation, and housing for urban poor communities in Maharashtra and beyond. It shares MHT's focus on incremental housing, sanitation infrastructure, and community-led development with municipal government partnerships, serving highly comparable beneficiaries in urban India.

Broad incumbents

• BRAC: BRAC is one of the world's largest development NGOs operating across South Asia and Africa, with extensive programs in poverty alleviation, health, education, and climate resilience. MHT has co-authored publications with BRAC on climate adaptation; BRAC operates at vastly greater scale but shares the multi-dimensional development approach combining livelihood, housing, and climate programs for the poor.
• Mercy Corps India: Mercy Corps is a global humanitarian organization with significant India operations focused on climate adaptation, disaster resilience, and economic development for vulnerable communities. It shares MHT's climate resilience and disaster risk reduction focus and has comparable partnerships with international donors and Indian state governments.
• Slum/Shack Dwellers International (SDI): SDI is a global network of community-led organizations supporting slum dwellers' federations across 32+ countries to secure housing, land tenure, and basic services. Its community-driven model for incremental slum upgrading and savings-led housing finance is highly comparable to MHT's approach with CAGs and women's collectives for habitat improvement.

Emerging players

• Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS): IIHS is an India-based research and practice institution focused on urban sustainability, housing, and climate resilience. While more academic and policy-oriented than MHT, IIHS works on overlapping themes including affordable housing, climate adaptation, and urban governance reform for Indian cities, often in partnership with the same municipal stakeholders.
• WaterAid India: WaterAid India works on water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) access for marginalized communities across India, with a focus on urban and rural poor. Its WASH portfolio (274,911 households benefited from MHT water programs) closely overlaps with a major part of MHT's work, making it a strong thematic peer in the sanitation and water access domain.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@mahilahousingtrust
• Xx.com/mahilahsg
• Facebookfacebook.com/Mahilahsg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Mahila Housing Trust