Desh Apnayen Sahayog Foundation

What Desh Apnayen Sahayog Foundation does

Desh Apnayen Sahayog Foundation is an Indian non-governmental organisation incorporated under the Companies Act, 2013 and headquartered at 801 Dalamal Tower, Nariman Point, Mumbai. Founded in 2016, the foundation delivers civic education and citizenship development programmes to school students through its flagship ACTIZENS' Club initiative, which runs structured monthly themed activities on democracy, problem-solving, and active citizenship, supplemented by teacher training, ongoing support, and award recognition. The foundation serves partner schools across 14 Indian states spanning private, government, and government-aided institutions, and holds formal partnerships with the Education departments of four state governments — Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.

The foundation operates three interconnected products. The ACTIZENS' Club programme is the core school-based civic education offering. The Desh Apnayen mobile application, launched in 2020, is a role-based digital platform with multi-tier access controls for schools, teachers, engagement officers, volunteers, the central team, and government functionaries (CRP, CRC, BRC); it supports course material access, programme delivery tracking, institutional data management, and communication. The mobile app is built on a standard cloud stack: Amazon Web Services provides hosting with India-region data residency, Google Firebase handles backend services, real-time database, authentication, and analytics, with Google Maps API enabling location-based features and Google Translate API providing in-application language translation. The foundation also publishes the Desh Apnayen blog as a thought-leadership platform on civic topics and holds a registered trademark on the ACTIZENS'® brand.

The foundation is a donation and grant-funded non-profit with all programmes and application access provided free of charge to authorised users — schools, teachers, students, engagement officers, volunteers, and foundation personnel. There is no revenue from programme participants, no licensing fees, and no fees charged for school partnership or application access. The foundation is led by Founder and Chief Mentor Shri Vallabh Bhanshali and operates with a small team. Financial information, headcount, and donor or grant composition are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Desh Apnayen Sahayog Foundation

Legal name

Desh Apnayen Sahayog Foundation

Website

https://deshapnayen.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Desh Apnayen Sahayog Foundation is a Mumbai-based Indian non-profit delivering civic education through its ACTIZENS' Club programme to school students across 14 states, with four state government Education department partnerships, supported by a free donation-funded model and a mobile application.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civic Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Social Studies & Civics Instruction (School-Delivered) (EDAJAFAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Civic, Citizenship & Community Engagement Education (EDAAAEAI), NGO/Nonprofit Education Programs & Service Delivery (EDADALAC), Civic Participation & Leadership Development (Voting, Advocacy, Community Leadership) (EDAAADAL)

Keywords

• Civic education programs
• School-based citizenship training
• Experiential civic learning
• Student leadership development
• Education programme delivery

Headquarters

HQ city

Mumbai

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Educational Programme Delivery (Free): As a non-profit foundation dedicated to civic education, Desh Apnayen provides all programmes free of charge to schools, teachers, and students. The foundation operates on a donation and grant-funded model, with no revenue generated from programme participants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Desh Apnayen Sahayog Foundation delivers the ACTiZENS' Club civic education programme free of charge to school students across India through partner schools and state government education departments, combining monthly themed activities on democracy with teacher training and ongoing support. A dedicated mobile application supports programme delivery, content access, and coordination among schools, teachers, engagement officers, and foundation administrators. The foundation operates as a non-profit, funded through donations and grants.

Product overview

Desh Apnayen Sahayog Foundation offers a unified civic education ecosystem comprising three interconnected components: the ACT*i*ZENS' Club Programme (the flagship school-based offering that delivers monthly civic engagement activities to students across India), the Desh Apnayen Mobile Application (a role-based digital platform enabling schools, teachers, field teams, and Foundation administrators to manage programme delivery, access course content, track student participation, and coordinate activities), and the Desh Apnayen Blog (a public thought-leadership and educational resource on active citizenship, democracy, and civic responsibility). The Foundation partners with schools across 14 Indian states and works with state education departments in Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ACTiZENS' Club Programme: The flagship programme offered to school students across India, cultivating civic engagement and problem-solving skills through monthly activities on themes related to democracy.

Products and services

• ACTiZENS' Club Programme A flagship school-based civic education programme offered to students across India through partner schools (private, government, and government-aided) spanning 14 states. The programme cultivates civic engagement and 21st-century skills through monthly themed activities on democracy, problem-solving, and active citizenship, supported by teacher training, ongoing support, and awards and recognition for students and teachers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Partner schools span across 14 Indian states with partnerships with 4 state government education departments

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and infrastructure.

• Education Department, Government of Madhya PradeshcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormal partnership with the state Education department for delivery of ACTIZENS' Club civic education programmes in Madhya Pradesh government and aided schools.
• Education Department, Government of GoacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Goa's Directorate of Education for implementing civic education programmes in schools across Goa, with Director of Education Shri Shailesh Zingde expressing commendation for the programme.
• Education Department, Government of KarnatakacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState government education department partnership for ACTIZENS' Club programme delivery in Karnataka schools.
• Education Department, Government of Andhra PradeshcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Andhra Pradesh state Education department for civic education programme implementation in partner schools.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS)infrastructureTechnology or IntegrationAWS provides cloud infrastructure, data storage, and server hosting for the foundation's mobile application and digital platforms. Primary data storage is on AWS servers located within India.
• Google FirebaseinfrastructureTechnology or IntegrationFirebase provides backend application services, real-time database functionality, user authentication, and usage analytics for the mobile application.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Pratham Education Foundation: One of India's largest education NGOs working across primary and secondary education. Comparable on pan-India school network, state-government partnerships, and large-scale education programme delivery, though broader in scope than civic education specifically.
• Teach For India: Large Indian education non-profit placing teachers in low-income schools. Comparable on K-12 education delivery and India-wide school partnerships, though focused on teaching fellows rather than civic curriculum.
• Centre for Policy Research: Indian policy think-tank producing research and programmes on governance, democracy, and citizenship. Comparable on the civics-and-democracy thematic area and India-wide reach, though oriented toward policy analysis rather than K-12 delivery.
• National Foundation for India: Indian philanthropic foundation supporting civil-society organisations across civic engagement, education, and livelihoods. Comparable on the civic-engagement thematic area and grant-making/funding role within the sector.

Direct peers

• iCivics: US-based non-profit providing civics education curriculum and digital games to schools globally. Direct peer on structured K-12 civics curriculum delivery, though operating in a different geography with a primarily digital product.
• Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR): Indian non-profit working on democratic literacy, voter awareness, and civic participation. Comparable on the democracy/civic literacy mission and India-wide footprint, though more focused on electoral transparency than K-12 delivery.
• YUVA (Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action): Indian non-profit engaging young people on citizenship, governance, and community issues. Comparable on civic engagement mission, school- and community-based delivery, and youth leadership development focus.
• Wada Na Todo Abhiyan: Indian civil-society campaign focused on active citizenship, governance accountability, and youth civic engagement. Direct peer on the active-citizenship mission and India-wide advocacy-and-education orientation.
• Pravah: Indian non-profit focused on youth leadership, civic engagement, and active citizenship through experiential programmes in schools and colleges. Direct peer given overlapping K-12/youth civic education mission and community-led delivery model.

Emerging players

• ComMuniTree: Smaller Indian civic-literacy and community-engagement initiative working with schools and local bodies. Comparable on civic-literacy mission and school/community-based delivery, but at a meaningfully smaller scale than Desh Apnayen.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC7G0VZ-_uCn1yuWSX2hY2EQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/DeshApnayen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/deshapnayen
• Instagraminstagram.com/DeshApnayen
• Xx.com/deshapnayen

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Desh Apnayen Sahayog Foundation