What Peepul does

Peepul is an Indian education non-profit (registered as 'Absolute Return for Kids' under the Society Registration Act XXI of 1860) founded in 2017 and headquartered in New Delhi. It partners with state governments — the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the Madhya Pradesh State Education Department — to improve learning outcomes in government schools through teacher professional development, whole-school transformation, and curriculum-aligned pedagogical content. Its portfolio of programmes includes three MCD Exemplar Schools (R&D laboratories under a PPP model), the Delhi Scale Programme, CM RISE Teacher Professional Development, Sandipani Vidyalaya whole-school transformation, Digital Literacy (Delhi and Madhya Pradesh, the latter co-developed with Amazon Future Engineer), LiftEd (NIPUN Bharat-aligned assessment-driven teaching), PM SHRI Schools support, and supporting modules such as Shaikshik Samwad peer-learning forums, the Phonics Programme, the Maths Toolkit (developed with Homi Bhabha Centre), Dakshta Unnyan remediation, and Subah ki Sabha morning teacher meetings. Reported reach covers ~6.5 million students, ~2,70,000 teachers, and ~90,000 schools across two states, with a headcount of 101–250 employees.

The organisation does not operate as a technology-product company; its 'core technology' is pedagogical rather than software — evidence-based teaching methodologies, teacher-training frameworks, and curriculum-aligned materials. Digital tools (block-based coding on Scratch, digital dashboards, bilingual lesson plans) function as delivery media rather than a proprietary platform. Peepul's revenue model is multi-stream and donation-driven: individual donations from Indian citizens and NRIs (with 12A/80G tax exemption, tiers at ₹600/₹1,800/₹7,200), corporate CSR partnerships anchored by Amazon Future Engineer, and government programme contracts for in-school delivery in Delhi and Madhya Pradesh. Go-to-market is sales-led into government systems supplemented by community engagement (Peepul Community Champions, 'Chai Pe Baatcheet' forums, School Management Committees) and a college-student volunteer pipeline for early-grade support.

Name

Peepul

Legal name

Absolute Return for Kids

Website

https://peepulindia.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Peepul is a New Delhi-based education NGO partnering with the governments of Delhi and Madhya Pradesh to improve government school outcomes through teacher professional development, whole-school transformation, and curriculum-aligned programmes reaching ~6.5 million students across ~90,000 schools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Non-Profit Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) in Education (EDADALAD), K–12 Instructional Design & Curriculum Development Services (EDAGAKAA)

Keywords

• Education non-profit services
• Teacher professional development
• Government school transformation
• Foundational literacy programmes
• Whole-school improvement models

Headquarters

HQ city

New Delhi

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations (Indian Donors): Peepul raises funds from Indian individuals through its donate platform, offering tax-exempt donations under Section 80G of the Indian Income Tax Act. Donation tiers suggested are ₹600, ₹1,800, and ₹7,200. Cheque donations in favour of 'Absolute Return for Kids' are also accepted.
2. NRI Donations: Peepul accepts donations from Non-Resident Indians through its donate platform, offering tax-exempt donations under Section 80G.
3. Corporate CSR Partnerships: Peepul generates revenue through formal CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) partnerships with companies, where corporations contribute to Peepul's programmes as part of their mandated CSR spending under the Indian Companies Act. This includes partnerships like Amazon Future Engineer.
4. Government Contracts and Programme Partnerships: Peepul works on a not-for-profit model in partnership with government school systems. Government contracts and partnerships fund the delivery of programmes such as CM RISE Teacher Professional Development, Delhi Scale Programme, and Digital Literacy programmes within public schools.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Peepul collaborates with the Government of Delhi (MCD) and the Madhya Pradesh State Education Department to deliver whole-school transformation programmes within government school systems, including teacher professional development, foundational literacy and numeracy instruction, digital literacy curricula, and community and parent engagement frameworks. Its programmes are funded through donations and CSR partnerships and delivered free of charge to public school students, teachers, and families.

Product overview

Peepul is an education NGO that operates as a platform of interconnected programmes working collaboratively with governments, school administration, and experts to transform government schools in India. The core offerings include Exemplar Schools (R&D laboratories for pedagogical innovation), the Delhi Scale Programme and CM RISE programmes (large-scale government partnerships in Delhi and Madhya Pradesh respectively), Digital Literacy programmes (building 21st-century skills in students and teachers), and LiftEd (aligned with NIPUN Bharat for assessment-driven teaching). Supporting modules include Shaikshik Samwad (peer learning at ~3100 cluster centers), the Phonics Programme (systematic reading instruction), the Maths Toolkit (manipulatives-based numeracy), Dakshta Unnyan (remediation for middle graders), and Subah ki Sabha (daily teacher reflection practice). Together, these programmes create an ecosystem focused on teacher empowerment, high-engagement classrooms, and strengthened school administration to improve learning outcomes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Exemplar Schools Public-Private Partnership model with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi operating three transformed government schools (Lajpat Nagar, Jeewan Nagar, Amar Colony) as R&D laboratories for pedagogy, generating evidence on attendance, literacy, parental engagement, and digital transformation that informs state-level rollouts.
• Delhi Scale Programme Large-scale government school transformation initiative operating across Delhi in partnership with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, embedding evidence-based pedagogical practices into the broader MCD school system.
• CM RISE Teacher Professional Development Teacher professional development programme delivered in partnership with the Madhya Pradesh State Education Department under the CM RISE School project, focused on whole-school transformation across CM RISE schools in Madhya Pradesh.
• Sandipani Vidyalaya Whole-School Transformation Whole-school transformation programme upgrading Sandipani Vidyalayas in Madhya Pradesh (formerly CM RISE schools) into best-in-class models serving tribal and underserved communities, with documented outcomes including Future Ready Skills award at FICCI ARISE Excellence Awards 2025.
• Digital Literacy Programme (Delhi) Programme equipping government school students in Delhi with 21st-century skills through computer-enabled classrooms, online learning platforms, and guided digital learning experiences.
• Digital Literacy Programme (Madhya Pradesh) Large-scale digital literacy initiative in Madhya Pradesh built on a partnership with Amazon Future Engineer, focusing on training educators, enhancing infrastructure, and integrating tech-led learning through computer science curriculum, Scratch Jr / Scratch coding, and digital dashboards.
• LiftEd Programme aligned with India's NIPUN Bharat Mission that strengthens the use of assessments to guide teaching practice, helping teachers identify where children need additional foundational learning support.
• PM SHRI Schools Support Programme Programme supporting PM SHRI (Prime Minister's Schools for Rising India) schools to become model institutions with enhanced infrastructure and improved teaching practices within the national PM SHRI framework.

Quantifiable outcome

• Exemplar Schools: enrollment grew from 9 to 1,568 students; 77% average attendance; 170% enrollment increase; 97% parental engagement; 3 in 4 Grade 3 students meet literacy benchmarks
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers10 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

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and supporting.

• Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeepul's foundational government partner in Delhi. Under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, Peepul transformed three MCD schools into Exemplar Schools at Lajpat Nagar, Jeewan Nagar, and Amar Colony. The partnership has since expanded to cover the Delhi Scale Programme, Phonics Programme (40+ MCD schools in Shahdara North Zone), and volunteer placements in MCD schools. MCD schools have received global recognition including World Education Week Top 10 and FICCI ARISE Excellence Awards.
• Madhya Pradesh State Education DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeepul partners with the Madhya Pradesh State Education Department across multiple programmes: CM RISE Teacher Professional Development (TPD) Programme, whole-school transformation of Sandipani Vidyalayas, Digital Literacy programme, Shaikshik Samwad (peer learning forums across 3,100+ Jan Shiksha Kendras), and the Dakshta Unnyan initiative for middle-grade remediation. The MP Department has printed Computer Science workbooks for all CM RISE schools (and subsequently all ICT schools statewide), validating Peepul's curriculum.
• Amazon Future EngineercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmazon's computer science education programme partnered with Peepul to deliver digital literacy and coding education to CM RISE schools in Madhya Pradesh. Peepul developed and delivers a first-of-its-kind computer science curriculum covering basics of computers, MS Office tools, digital citizenship, and block-based coding (Scratch Jr and Scratch). The partnership has reached 274 CM RISE schools and nearly 50,000 students. Student Rachit from this programme participated in the International Kids Coding Competition (IKCC).
• The Education Alliance (Mission Ankur)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Education Alliance, under Mission Ankur, partnered with Peepul to support Grade 1-5 teachers through Shaikshik Samwad forums at Jan Shiksha Kendras across Madhya Pradesh, complementing Peepul's support for Grades 6-8 teachers.
• Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE)supportingTechnology or IntegrationThe Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education informed the development of Peepul's Maths Toolkit, contributing pedagogical expertise to ensure the toolkit's alignment with structured learning progressions for foundational numeracy.
• Absolute Return for KidscoreOthersPeepul is the registered trademark of Absolute Return for Kids, a society registered under Society Registration Act XXI of 1860. Absolute Return for Kids serves as the legal and institutional parent of Peepul. Donations by cheque should be made in favour of 'Absolute Return for Kids'.

Scale indicators23 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pratham Education Foundation: India's largest education NGO, focused on foundational literacy and numeracy in government schools through programmes such as ASER and Read India. Highly comparable to Peepul in mission, target beneficiary (underserved government school children), and intervention model (school-embedded, evidence-led).
• Teach For India: Part of the Teach For All network, placing Fellows in low-income government and low-fee private schools to drive student achievement and leadership pipelines. Comparable to Peepul in mission (educational equity in underserved schools) and target population, though distinct delivery model (Fellow placement vs. whole-school transformation).
• Mantra4Change: India-based education transformation nonprofit that partners with state governments to improve leadership and instructional practice in government schools. Closely comparable to Peepul's CM RISE TPD and Shaikshik Samwad teacher development work and its government-embedded GTM motion.
• Gyan Shala: India-based education NGO operating low-cost community schools and government partnerships for underserved children. Comparable to Peepul in serving government-school populations and emphasis on foundational literacy and numeracy.
• STIR Education: India- and Uganda-based nonprofit focused on teacher professional development and instructional improvement through networks of teacher 'Re-imaginers'. Closely comparable to Peepul's teacher development and peer-learning emphasis (e.g., Shaikshik Samwad, learning circles).
• Central Square Foundation: India-focused philanthropic foundation working on foundational learning, teacher quality, and education system reform, including support for state-level government school improvement. Comparable to Peepul in focus on early-grade literacy/numeracy and policy-influencing approach.
• Kaivalya Education Foundation: Education leadership and transformation nonprofit working with state governments in India to reimagine school leadership and teaching-learning practice. Directly comparable to Peepul's whole-school transformation and leadership-development focus in government schools.
• Quest Alliance: India-based nonprofit working with government school systems to build 21st-century skills, teacher capacity and digital literacy. Comparable to Peepul's Digital Literacy Programmes, Amazon Future Engineer partnership, and focus on Grades 6–8 student outcomes.

Broad incumbents

• Bharti Foundation: Corporate philanthropy arm of Bharti Enterprises running the Satya Bharti School programme and government-school partnerships at scale across India. Comparable in serving rural government school children, though operating across a broader portfolio than Peepul's K-12 focus.
• Tata Trusts (Education Portfolio): India's largest philanthropic foundation with a substantial education portfolio spanning school transformation, teacher development, and digital learning. Comparable to Peepul in mission area and government engagement, but at materially larger scale and broader mandate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Peepul
• Facebookfacebook.com/Peepul
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/peepulindia
• Instagraminstagram.com/peepul_india
• Xx.com/PeepulIndia

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors1 record

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 Peepul