National Centre for Advocacy Studies

What National Centre for Advocacy Studies does

National Centre for Advocacy Studies (NCAS) is a Pune-based non-profit society established in 1992 and registered under the Maharashtra Societies Registration Act, 1860 and Bombay Public Trust Act, 1950. It operates as a premier advocacy resource centre in South Asia, with a stated mission to strengthen the capacity of marginalised people and social action groups to advocate on issues concerning their basic rights and social justice. The organisation's core methodology — "People Centred Advocacy" — was pioneered by NCAS and underpins its entire programmatic portfolio. Its service mix spans educational programmes (Advocacy Internship Programme since 1999, month-long advocacy courses, PG Certificate courses in public policy/advocacy/governance/human rights delivered with academic partners), knowledge products (publications in English/Hindi/Marathi/Odiya, documentary films, a 4,000+ volume library, and 200+ case studies), and direct advocacy support (capacity-building workshops, campaign coordination, policy briefs, and the RTE Infobank online resource on India's Right to Education Act).

NCAS's operating model is grant-funded and non-commercial: all workshops, publications, and resources are provided free of charge, with financial support sourced from international foundations including GREEN, Oak Foundation, Thousand Currents, and Southern Voices. End-user "customers" span grassroots activists, civil society organisations, social action groups, post-graduate students, and media professionals across India and South Asia. The organisation is headquartered in Pune with a satellite desk in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, and is governed by a General Body and Executive Committee. Leadership comprises a President (Josantony Joseph, founding member), Vice-President (Ifat Hamid), Secretary (Sandeep Kumar Pattnaik), and Treasurer (Dr. Vaishali Vilas Sonavane), supported by a national coordinator and programme/research staff. NCAS's technology footprint is limited to a physical resource centre, media room, and the RTE Infobank web portal — there is no proprietary software platform or AI/ML capability. Note: firmographic data labels NCAS as for-profit with a CEO named "Johanna Lokhande," which contradicts the detailed management-team data and the legal Society registration — the Society/non-profit structure and the named Executive Committee are treated as the authoritative position here.

Name

National Centre for Advocacy Studies

Legal name

National Centre for Advocacy Studies

Website

https://ncasindia.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NCAS is a Pune-based non-profit society established in 1992 that operates as a premier advocacy resource centre in South Asia, delivering capacity-building workshops, educational programmes, publications, and documentary films to grassroots activists, civil society organisations, students, and media professionals across India.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Pune

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants and Support: NCAS receives support from foundations and organisations including GREEN, Oak Foundation, Thousand Currents, and Southern Voices. The organisation operates as a Society registered under the Maharashtra Societies Registration Act, 1860 and the Bombay Public Trust Act, 1950.
2. Resource Sharing Services: NCAS shares its resources with CSOs, individuals, independent agencies, and support groups. The organisation provides publications, films, and educational materials to facilitate research, dissemination of information, awareness and outreach programmes.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

NCAS is a nonprofit advocacy resource centre that delivers capacity building programs (internships, certificate courses, workshops) and knowledge resources (publications, documentary films, a 4000+ book library, 200+ case studies) to strengthen marginalized communities and civil society organisations to advocate for their rights. Its services are anchored by its proprietary People Centred Advocacy methodology and cover training, policy research, campaign support, and Right to Education information dissemination, offered free of charge and funded by foundation grants.

Product overview

National Centre for Advocacy Studies (NCAS) is a premier advocacy resource centre in South Asia offering a portfolio of educational programs, knowledge products, and advocacy support services. Its core offerings include the People Centred Advocacy Methodology—a framework pioneered by NCAS for empowering marginalized communities—alongside educational programs such as the Advocacy Internship Programme, Certificate Programmes, and Foundation Course on Public Policy & Advocacy. The organization produces knowledge resources including publications (policy briefs, books, research reports), documentary films, and maintains a resource centre with over 4,000 books and 200+ case studies. NCAS also provides capacity building workshops and campaign support services for social justice advocates. The RTE Infobank serves as an online resource for Right to Education information.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Advocacy Internship Programme (AIP) Multidisciplinary internship programme instilling a rights-based perspective on social change through concepts and practices of people-centred advocacy and human rights activism, covering topics such as Indian society, human rights law, social movements, public policy analysis, and research methodologies. Targeted at young postgraduate students.
• Certificate Programmes in People Centred Advocacy Certificate programmes offered in association with academic institutions and centres of excellence, covering basics of advocacy, Indian society, stakeholders, tools and strategies of advocacy, legislative and media advocacy, and campaign planning. Targeted at working professionals and postgraduate students.
• Month-long Course on Advocacy Intensive month-long course for young postgraduate students from social work, law, rural development, sociology, political science, and media disciplines, developing a holistic understanding of national issues and building a pro-people perspective through participatory methodology.
• Foundation Course on Public Policy & Advocacy Two-week intensive course for individuals wanting to become effective change agents, offering interaction with leading policymakers, academicians, and development sector professionals. Designed for early to mid-career professionals in the development sector.
• Publications Policy briefs, report cards, books, pamphlets, research reports, discussion papers, and parliament digests covering human rights, public policy, governance, tribal rights, and social justice issues. Published in English, Hindi, Marathi, and Odiya for diverse audiences.
• Documentary Films Short feature films and documentaries produced by NCAS on social justice issues including drought, caste discrimination, livelihood rights, forest rights, employment guarantee schemes, special economic zones, tribal rights, and land rights.
• Resource Centre and Library Physical resource centre housing more than 4,000 books, reports and journals on development, human rights, justice, governance, communication studies, and development communication, along with over 200 case studies documenting advocacy efforts across India. Materials are shared on request with CSOs, individuals, and support groups.
• RTE Infobank Online resource providing comprehensive information on the Right to Education Act 2009, including state-wise RTE rules, guidelines, model rules, and educational programme information such as Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and Mid Day Meal scheme.
• Capacity Building Workshops Workshops for social justice activists, civil society organisations, social action groups, students, and media professionals, designed to enhance capacities in knowledge, perspectives, and skills of people-centred advocacy at local, regional, national, and international levels.
• Campaign Support Programme Direct support for advocacy campaigns including documenting campaign processes, compiling policy publications, sending action alerts, convening consultations, preparing people's manifestos, and researching issues for social justice advocates.

Quantifiable outcome

• Produced ~80 young advocates currently working in reputable organisations
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Academic Institutions (Various)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCAS offers certificate programmes in association with academic institutions and centres of excellence. The courses include sessions on advocacy basics, Indian society, stakeholders, tools and strategies of advocacy, legislative and media advocacy, and campaign planning.
• Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Contemporary Studies, University of MumbaicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCAS jointly organised the National Conference on 'Development and Governance of Adivasis in Contemporary India' with Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Contemporary Studies, University of Mumbai in October 2017.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• National Human Rights Commission (India): NHRC is the statutory human rights body in India conducting investigations, awareness, and training programmes on human rights. It overlaps with NCAS's advocacy and rights education mission but as a government-mandated body rather than an independent CSO.
• National Law School of India University (NLSIU): NLSIU is India's flagship law university offering human rights, public policy, and constitutional law programmes and research. It is comparable to NCAS in training advocates and producing policy-oriented graduates but is a degree-granting university rather than a resource centre.
• Amnesty International India: Amnesty India is a global human rights organisation that conducts advocacy training, capacity building, and policy campaigns across India. It shares NCAS's human rights advocacy and CSO support mission but operates at significantly larger scale and with paid programme staff rather than a resource-centre model.
• Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS): TISS is India's premier social work and social sciences institution offering certificate, diploma, and degree programmes in public policy, human rights, and development — overlapping significantly with NCAS's educational offerings. It is a much larger, broader institution that competes for the same pool of post-graduate students and CSO training mandates.
• ActionAid India: ActionAid India is a large international development and human rights NGO running rights-based advocacy, women's empowerment, and CSO capacity programmes. It overlaps with NCAS's themes and methods but operates at significantly larger scale across more geographies in India.

Direct peers

• CREA (Creating Resources for Empowerment in Action): CREA is a feminist human rights organisation based in India that builds capacities of activists and CSOs on rights-based advocacy, gender justice, and movement building. It is directly comparable to NCAS as both operate as South Asian advocacy capacity-building and resource organisations serving civil society.
• Centre for Health and Social Justice (CHSJ): CHSJ is an Indian NGO focused on health rights, gender equity, and social justice advocacy, with strong capacity-building and policy advocacy programmes for marginalised communities. It shares NCAS's advocacy training, gender and rights focus, and CSO network-building model, and is referenced in NCAS's own team alumni network.
• Wada Na Todo Abhiyan (WNTA): WNTA is a national coalition of over 6000 CSOs in India working on accountability, governance, and pro-poor advocacy — directly comparable to NCAS in serving as a CSO convening and capacity-building platform for advocacy on social justice.
• Dalit Human Rights Defenders Network: DHRD is a global network defending Dalit rights, with training and campaign support programmes. NCAS board member Manjula Pradeep serves as Director of Campaigns there, evidencing operational overlap with NCAS's marginalised-community advocacy and capacity-building mandate.

Emerging players

• Praekelt.org: Praekelt is a digital social impact organisation building mobile and digital tools for health, rights, and advocacy campaigns in low-connectivity contexts. It represents a digitally-native, technology-enabled approach to advocacy that contrasts with NCAS's traditional resource-centre model and signals a likely competitive direction.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ncasindia
• Facebookfacebook.com/ncasindia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/about

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 National Centre for Advocacy Studies