Environmentalist Foundation of India

What Environmentalist Foundation of India does

Environmentalist Foundation of India (E.F.I) is a not-for-profit trust founded in 2007 by Arun Krishnamurthy and headquartered in Chennai, India. The organization specializes in the scientific revival and ecological restoration of freshwater lakes and ponds, with a community-based collaborative conservation model that mobilizes volunteers through weekend programs, internships, and school partnerships. E.F.I reports having restored 431 water bodies across 18 Indian states since inception, including 75 water bodies in Chennai alone, with named restoration projects executed for the Governments of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry, and Maharashtra.

The organization's core offering centers on a proprietary freshwater body restoration methodology combined with a diversified program portfolio. Core programs include Lake Safari (ecological tours), Cyclakes (cycling tours to lakes), ForesTree (long-term afforestation), E.F.I's Wall-E (awareness wall paintings), Hydrostan (weekly environmental video content), and the Samudra Ocean Conservation Project extending the mission into beach and marine habitats. Education-focused programs include Science Badge (youth talent identification) and Schoolwaale (institutional environmental education including rainwater harvesting and herbal gardens). E.F.I maintains branch operations in 9 Indian cities: Delhi, Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Pune, Kolkata, Chennai, Coimbatore, Ahmedabad, and Chandigarh.

E.F.I is funded through donations and grants from individuals and organizations, with no commercial pricing for its volunteer programs or conservation services. The organization distributes its services through direct community engagement rather than traditional commercial channels, mobilizing volunteers via weekend programs, 3-month internships (including international students), school partnerships, and corporate volunteer engagement. The go-to-market motion is community-led and event-driven, with brand visibility reinforced by earned media coverage in Washington Post, BBC, CNN, The Hindu, The New Indian Express, Republic TV, and Deutsche Welle.

Name

Environmentalist Foundation of India

Legal name

Environmentalist Foundation of India

Website

https://indiaenvironment.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Environmentalist Foundation of India is a Chennai-based non-profit trust founded in 2007 that scientifically restores freshwater lakes and ponds across 18 Indian states through volunteer-driven community conservation programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water Resources & Watershed Protection (BPAGAGAK), Forestry & Reforestation (BPAGAGAD)

Keywords

• Wildlife conservation services
• Freshwater lake restoration
• Habitat restoration programs
• Community volunteer programs
• Environmental nonprofit services

Headquarters

HQ city

Chennai

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: As a not-for-profit trust, E.F.I operates primarily through donations and grants from individuals and organizations supporting environmental conservation efforts in India.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Environmentalist Foundation of India (E.F.I) is a not-for-profit trust that scientifically restores polluted and contaminated freshwater lakes and ponds across 18 Indian states through community-based collaborative conservation. The organization mobilizes volunteers through weekend programs, internships, school initiatives, and awareness campaigns (Lake Safari, Wall-E, Hydrostan, Cyclakes, ForesTree, Samudra) to support its lake restoration and wildlife habitat conservation mission.

Product overview

Environmentalist Foundation of India (E.F.I) is a wildlife conservation and habitat restoration nonprofit trust that operates as a unified organization with multiple community engagement programs centered around environmental conservation. The core offering is scientific lake and pond restoration across 18 Indian states. The portfolio includes Lake Safari (ecological tours), E.F.I's Wall-E (wall painting awareness), Hydrostan/E.F.A Documentaries (environmental video content), Science Badge and Schoolwaale (youth education programs), Cyclakes (cycling tours), ForesTree (afforestation), and Samudra (ocean/beach conservation). These programs work together to achieve E.F.I's mission of volunteering for India and her environment through collaborative conservation efforts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Samudra: Ocean conservation project focused on raising awareness about beaches as ecological zones and beach clean-up initiatives.
• Lake Safari
• E.F.I's Wall-E
• Hydrostan
• Science Badge
• Schoolwaale
• Cyclakes
• ForesTree
• E.F.A Documentaries

Products and services

• Lake Safari

Quantifiable outcome

• 431 water bodies restored across 18 Indian states since 2007
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Washington PostminorOthers · 1 January 2020Washington Post featured E.F.I founder Arun Krishnamurthy in a video segment on climate and environment in September 2020, providing media visibility for the organization's conservation work.
• BBCminorOthersBBC has covered E.F.I's environmental conservation efforts, including lake restoration projects in India, providing international media visibility.
• CNNminorOthersCNN has featured E.F.I's work in environmental conservation and lake restoration across India.
• The HinduminorOthersThe Hindu newspaper has covered E.F.I's lake restoration projects and environmental initiatives in multiple articles.
• The New Indian ExpressminorOthersThe New Indian Express has published articles about E.F.I's restoration work on ponds and water bodies across India.
• Republic TVminorOthersRepublic TV has covered E.F.I's environmental conservation efforts and founder Arun Krishnamurthy's work.
• DW (Deutsche Welle)minorOthersDW (Germany's international broadcaster) has covered E.F.I's environmental work in India.
• RolexminorOthersRolex has featured or recognized E.F.I's environmental conservation efforts, as indicated by a Rolex thumbnail on their media page.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE): India-based nonprofit focused on ecology research and biodiversity conservation. Comparable as a similarly-missioned Indian environmental nonprofit with scientific programs, though ATREE leans more toward academic research outputs versus E.F.I's volunteer-driven restoration.
• Centre for Science and Environment (CSE): India-based environmental nonprofit working on water, air, and sustainability issues with strong media and policy advocacy. Comparable to E.F.I as a high-profile Indian environmental NGO, though CSE is broader in policy scope and more media-anchored.
• Wildlife Conservation Trust: India-based wildlife and habitat conservation nonprofit. Directly comparable as a habitat-restoration focused Indian nonprofit; smaller in scale than WWF India but with similar field-conservation orientation to E.F.I.
• Wetlands International South Asia: South Asia office of global wetlands conservation NGO, focused on freshwater and wetland habitat restoration. Closely comparable to E.F.I's freshwater body focus, though operating regionally with policy-level engagement rather than volunteer mobilization.

Broad incumbents

• World Wildlife Fund India (WWF India): Large established India affiliate of the global WWF network working on wildlife and habitat conservation. Comparable mission space to E.F.I but with substantially larger endowment, institutional donor base, and broader geographic programs.
• The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI): Large Indian research institute focused on energy, environment, and sustainable development. Comparable as a prominent Indian environmental institution with policy influence, though TERI's research and consulting orientation differs from E.F.I's grassroots restoration model.
• Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS): One of India's oldest conservation organizations working on wildlife research and habitat protection. Comparable conservation mission to E.F.I but with a longer institutional history, larger scientific staff, and stronger research-publishing credentials.
• The Nature Conservancy India: India operations of global conservation NGO with focus on landscape-scale habitat and freshwater conservation. Comparable freshwater restoration activity to E.F.I's lake work but with global funding backing and landscape-scale program design.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/EnvironmentalistFoundationofIndia
• Xx.com/EFIVolunteer
• Facebookfacebook.com/indiaenvironment
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/indiaenvironment

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Environmentalist Foundation of India