Centre for Civil Society

What Centre for Civil Society does

Centre for Civil Society (CCS) is an India-based non-profit think tank founded in August 1997 in New Delhi, operating as a registered charitable trust under Section 80G of the Indian Income Tax Act. Its mission is to advance individual choice, institutional accountability, and market-based prosperity through evidence-based policy research, advocacy, and on-ground program implementation across four pillars: Education, Governance and Rule of Law, Livelihood (street vendors, agriculture, MSMEs), and (since 2020) Science & Technology policy.

CCS's core offerings span policy research publications (briefs, reports, books, monographs, podcasts, videos), the CCS Academy certificate course portfolio (iPolicy, ePolicy, Austrian Economics Seminar, Policy Camp, Colloquium, MOOC) with over 12,000 alumni across 40+ cities, the Researching Reality 8-week policy research residency (now in its 26th edition), the Bolo English spoken-English program delivered through 800+ budget private schools and 5,000+ teachers across 11 states, and the Jeevika initiative — combining a mobile application for street vendor legal aid with a fellowship engaging law students. The Technology stack is conventional: mobile applications, digital learning platforms, and a research/advocacy platform, with no disclosed AI/ML capabilities. CCS was a contributor to the Street Vendors Act 2014 and originated the 'separation of functions' concept now embedded in India's National Education Policy 2020.

CCS's business model is a nonprofit mixed-funding structure: core program grants from international foundations (Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, Templeton World Charity Foundation, Friedrich Naumann Foundation, Rising Tide Foundation, Procter & Gamble Shiksha), foreign contributions (FC-registered), Indian domestic donations under 80G, and modest course fees (₹6,000-₹19,999 per cohort participant). Customer/beneficiary segments are highly diversified — budget private schools, street vendors, university students, young professionals, and policy researchers — but program funding is anchored to a relatively concentrated set of foundation partners.

Name

Centre for Civil Society

Legal name

Centre for Civil Society

Website

https://ccs.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Centre for Civil Society is a 27-year-old India-based non-profit think tank founded in New Delhi, producing evidence-based policy research, advocacy, and training programs across education reform, livelihood rights, and governance. It serves schools, street vendors, students, and policymakers through certificate courses, mobile applications, and policy fellowships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Policy Think Tank Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (81341)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Civil Society Strengthening & Civic Space (BPADAGAD), Education Policy Research Institutes & Think Tanks (EDADADAA), NGO/Nonprofit Education Programs & Service Delivery (EDADALAC), Education Policy, Research & Advocacy Organizations (Nonprofit) (BPAGADAN)

Keywords

• Policy research
• Think tank services
• Public policy training
• Education reform advocacy
• Livelihood rights programs

Headquarters

HQ city

New Delhi

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a registered charitable trust, CCS receives tax-deductible donations under Section 80G of the Indian Income Tax Act. Donors receive benefits including access to CCS library with over 5,000 books and complimentary membership to the weekly virtual reading group.
2. Foreign Contributions: CCS receives foreign contributions and maintains FC audited statements, with quarterly receipts of foreign contribution published on their financials page.
3. Certificate Course Fees: Policy training programs charge fees for certificate courses including Austrian Economics Seminar (₹7,500 regular, ₹6,000 early bird), and Education Thought Leaders Collective (₹19,999 inaugural cohort, ₹1,00,000 regular value).
4. Program-Specific Grants: Specific programs receive grants from foundations: Bolo English from Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, Procter & Gamble Shiksha, Rising Tide Foundation; Dharampal Fellowship from Friedrich Naumann Foundation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Centre for Civil Society is a non-profit think tank that conducts evidence-based policy research, advocacy, and training programs in India across education, livelihood, and governance verticals. It sells and delivers certificate courses on public policy (iPolicy, ePolicy, Austrian Economics Seminar, Policy Camp, Colloquium), operates fellowship programs (Dharampal Fellowship, Jeevika Fellowship), runs on-ground intervention projects (Bolo English spoken-English program for low-income students, Jeevika legal-aid app for street vendors), and publishes research briefs, reports, books, podcasts, and videos.

Product overview

Centre for Civil Society operates as a policy research and training organization with a portfolio of interconnected programs. The core offerings include: (1) Bolo English - spoken English skills program with Language Learning Lab sub-project; (2) Researching Reality - 8-week policy research residency internship; (3) Certificate Courses (CCS Academy) - iPolicy/ePolicy, Austrian Economics Seminar, Policy Camp, Colloquium, and other policy training programs; (4) Dharampal Fellowship - teacher training; (5) Jeevika Mobile App and Fellowship - legal aid for street vendors; (6) Science & Technology vertical with PRISM dialogues and Women in STEM initiatives; (7) Education Thought Leaders Collective - leadership platform for school administrators; and (8) Publications including briefs, reports, books, podcasts, and videos. These offerings span education reform, livelihood advocacy, governance research, and policy training.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Freedom91 Circle: New initiative commemorating the 30th anniversary of the opening up of the Indian economy in 1991.
• Bolo English
• Jeevika
• Dharampal Fellowship

Products and services

• Bolo English A spoken-English skills program for children from low-income families, delivered through mobile app-based self-learning and structured teacher training. Serves budget private schools and semi-government schools, with more than 800 schools engaged across 11 states and over 5,000 teachers trained.
• Jeevika Mobile App A mobile application for street vendors providing access to free legal aid, a legal information repository, an SOS platform connecting vendors to lawyers, and geo-tagging for property rights verification. Available on Google Play Store.
• Researching Reality An 8-week intensive policy research residency program for undergraduates and recent graduates offering training in research methodology, policy analysis, and mentorship under CCS researchers.
• Certificate Courses (CCS Academy) A suite of public-policy certificate courses including iPolicy, ePolicy, Austrian Economics Seminar, Policy Camp, Colloquium, MOOC, Masterclass, and credit courses. Delivered online and in-person to students and professionals; includes 12,000+ alumni across 40+ Indian cities.
• Dharampal Fellowship A fellowship program that empowers budget private school teachers through training, networking sessions, and interactions with education experts. Free program supported by Friedrich Naumann Foundation with a INR 6,000 learning stipend.
• Education Thought Leaders Collective (ETLC) A 9-month selective engagement platform for school leaders exploring education autonomy, choice, regulation, and leadership through residential workshops and ongoing dialogue. Inaugural cohort priced at INR 19,999 versus a regular programme value of INR 1,00,000.
• Science & Technology (PRISM) A policy vertical dedicated to advancing policy solutions for scientific enquiry and research, including the PRISM dialogue series and Women in STEM initiatives. Established in 2020.
• Jeevika Fellowship An engagement program for law students to provide legal aid and spread awareness on street vendor rights under the Jeevika initiative. Connects law students and lawyers to street vendors in Delhi.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 12,000 graduates from policy training programs, many of whom have started their own organisations
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ATLAS NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerATLAS Network is a global network of free-market think tanks. CCS participates in their programs including Asia Think Tank Shark Tank Competition and has won awards through this partnership. ATLAS Network supports CCS's mission of advancing individual choice and institutional accountability.
• Procter & Gamble (P&G) IndiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerP&G Shiksha initiative supports Bolo English program and Betiyan Scholarship Program. Gurcharan Das (former MD Procter and Gamble Global) serves as mentor for Bolo English project. Partnership includes financial support and mentorship for education initiatives.
• Vidhi Centre for Legal PolicycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCS partnered with Vidhi to publish research paper on land laws in Maharashtra titled 'Whose Land is it Anyway?' - a legal policy collaboration.
• National Hawker FederationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMoU signed between CCS and National Hawker Federation to support street vendors in their fight against harassment. Partnership amplifies voices around protecting livelihood rights of street vendors through joint action.
• National Hawker FederationcoreOthersMoU signed between CCS and National Hawker Federation to support street vendors in their fight against harassment. Partnership amplifies voices around protecting livelihood rights of street vendors through joint action.
• Bharti FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBharti Foundation schools participate in Bolo English program across multiple locations.
• Telangana Registered School Managements Association (TRSMA)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner association in Bolo English program representing school managements in Telangana.
• Varthana School FinanceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner providing school finance solutions and connecting with budget private schools for Bolo English program.
• United We StandminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner organization in Bolo English ecosystem.
• NISAminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner organization in Bolo English program.
• Independent Schools AssociationminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner association in Bolo English program.
• Indian School of Public PolicycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for Advanced Liberty & Society Seminar. Dr. Parth J. Shah serves as Founder Dean of ISPP. Strategic partnership for policy education and training.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Atlas Network: Global network of 500+ free-market think tanks with whom CCS partners and competes within regional cohorts; provides comparable thought-leadership programming, awards (Asia Think Tank Shark Tank), and capacity-building infrastructure.
• Brookings Institution: One of the world's largest and most established policy-research organizations; comparable in its think-tank category and convening power, although significantly larger in scale and broader in ideological positioning than CCS.

Direct peers

• Cato Institute: Premier US-based libertarian think tank advancing individual liberty, free markets, and limited government — overlapping mission and policy advocacy posture with CCS's choice, accountability, and economic-freedom agenda.
• Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy: New Delhi-based legal-policy research organization working on regulatory reform, quality of law, and rule-of-law issues — existing co-author/partner of CCS on legal-policy research and a direct peer in the Indian legal-reform space.
• Takshashila Institution: Bengaluru-based public policy research and education think tank focused on economic policy, foreign policy, and technology — closely comparable Indian think-tank peer with overlapping training programs and policy-school orientation.
• Centre for Policy Research (CPR): One of India's longest-standing policy think tanks based in New Delhi covering governance, law, and economic policy — direct domestic peer operating in the same city and overlapping mandate with CCS's research and convening work.
• Indian School of Public Policy: New Delhi-based graduate public-policy school where CCS Founder Parth J. Shah serves as Founder Dean — a strategic-partner / direct peer in policy education, training, and convening.

Emerging players

• Students For Liberty: Global youth-focused pro-liberty organization with adjacent mission in student outreach and policy training — overlapping with CCS Academy's student-targeted certificate and seminar programming, but at a global student scale.

Others

• Liberty Fund: Private educational foundation supporting free-market and individual-liberty scholarship through conferences, seminars, and digital libraries — an adjacent ecosystem enabler that funds comparable intellectual infrastructure and whose mission closely mirrors CCS's.

Regional players

• NCAER (National Council of Applied Economic Research): India's premier economic and policy research institution based in New Delhi — comparable as a domestic policy research peer, particularly around economic-policy research and survey-based evidence similar to CCS's policy briefs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ccsindia
• Xx.com/ccsindia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/centre-for-civil-society

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Centre for Civil Society