Community Leadership Nepal Foundation

What Community Leadership Nepal Foundation does

Community Leadership Nepal Foundation (CLNF) is a not-for-profit organization founded in 2020 and registered in both Nepal and Australia. It delivers community development programs across five core verticals — agriculture, health, education, leadership, and community development — through three branded entities: Community Leadership Nepal (CLN), SmileHigh (SH, acquired via the 2025 merger with SmileHigh Foundation), and Nepal Travel Experience (NTE). Program offerings include Eco-Home Farming, Climate Action, women's empowerment, hygiene and nutrition initiatives, Read-to-Learn/Read-to-Grow education programs, the Nepal-Australia Exchange Program, and convening activities such as the Green Future Symposium.

The organization's core delivery model is volunteer- and partnership-driven, relying on institutional partners including Global Orphan Prevention, AIROI, multiple Rotary Clubs (Patan, Auckland), Volunteers for Nepal, and Vasavya Mahila Mandali (India). Programs are delivered primarily in rural Nepal with cross-border funding flows from Australian donors and diaspora networks.

CLNF is funded by donations, grants, and emerging revenue streams from the Nepal-Australia Exchange Program and the AIROI carbon-credit partnership. Leadership is led by founder/CEO Dr. Aruna Upreti alongside a multi-disciplinary board including Dr. Prakash Poudel and Chair Ram Chandra Sharma. As a small, volunteer-supported NGO with no disclosed headcount or revenue, the organization's economic footprint is best understood as project-scale rather than enterprise-scale.

Name

Community Leadership Nepal Foundation

Legal name

Community Leadership Nepal Foundation Ltd.

Website

https://communityleadershipnepal.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Community Leadership Nepal Foundation is a Nepal-Australia registered nonprofit delivering community development programs in agriculture, health, education, and climate action across rural Nepal through donations, volunteer support, and institutional partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Community Development

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Forestry & Reforestation (BPAGAGAD), Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD), Maternal, Newborn, Child & Adolescent Health (MNCAH) NGOs (HLAJAKAG), Volunteer Program Funding, Scholarships & Fundraising Support (EDAIAGAO)

Keywords

• Girls education programs
• Women empowerment initiatives
• Sustainable agriculture
• Community development
• Purpose-driven travel

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: CLNF operates as a not-for-profit organization that generates revenue through donations from supporters in Australia, Nepal, and globally. They accept online donations via RAWCS (for Australian tax-deductible donations), direct bank transfers to their Nepal Mega Bank account, and organize fundraising events such as charity dinners. The Nepal Travel Experience brand also generates revenue through purpose-driven travel bookings that directly fund community projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Community Leadership Nepal Foundation is a non-profit foundation running community development programs in Nepal across three brands: Community Leadership Nepal (CLN), SmileHigh (SH), and Nepal Travel Experience (NTE). Its core programs focus on girls' education, women's empowerment, and sustainable agriculture, supported by donations, grants, and proceeds from purpose-driven travel experiences sold through Nepal Travel Experience. The foundation is registered in both Nepal and Australia, enabling international donor and grantmaker engagement.

Product overview

Community Leadership Nepal Foundation (CLNF) is a not-for-profit organization operating under three sub-brands: Community Leadership Nepal (CLN) focusing on health, education, agriculture, and leadership development; SmileHigh (SH) specializing in community oral health and cleft care; and Nepal Travel Experience (NTE) serving as a purpose-driven travel booking platform. CLN delivers programs including the Community Agriculture Project, Menstrual Health Program, Empowerment Center, Ghyangphedi Community Development Program, and Manechauka Sustainable Agriculture Education Program. SmileHigh operates Community Oral Health and Cleft Nepal programs, with an upcoming Nepal-Australia Exchange Program. NTE enables supporters to book Nepal trips while funding CLNF community projects. The organization merged with SmileHigh Foundation to unify operations under the CLNF name while maintaining distinct brand identities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Leadership Nepal (CLN) Program Grassroots community leadership and development programs delivered in Nepal, including women's empowerment and sustainable agriculture initiatives for local communities.
• SmileHigh (SH) Program Girls' education and community health program focused on supporting girls' schooling and wellbeing outcomes in Nepal communities.
• Nepal Travel Experience (NTE) Purpose-driven travel packages in Nepal offered to international travelers, with proceeds directed to fund CLNF community programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 250 Diploma in Agriculture students trained with practical farming experience through the Manechauka program
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Eco Climate InnovatorsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 February 2025Co-host of Symposium on Innovation Towards a Greener Future, bringing sustainability expertise and climate solutions
• Global Sustainable Futures Network (GSFN)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 February 2025Co-host of Symposium on Innovation Towards a Greener Future, sharing vision for sustainable governance and interdependent collaborative leadership
• Lumbini Peace Forum (LPF)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 June 2024Collaborative partner for environmental sustainability initiatives, jointly organized avocado tree planting in Ghyanphedi, Nuwakot with 100 trees distributed to local farmers
• Days for GirlsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization collaborating on menstrual health initiatives, featured in CLNF's partner logos section
• Dhulikhel Hospital (Kathmandu University)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare partner collaborating on oral health programs and cleft care surgeries, providing specialized medical expertise and facilities
• Royal Children's Hospital AustraliaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustralian healthcare partner providing expertise and support for child health initiatives
• Organic and Regenerative Investment Co-operative (ORIC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural investment co-operative partner supporting sustainable farming initiatives and agro-business development in Nepal
• Rotary InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal service organization partnering on community projects including presentations to Rotary clubs and potential funding support
• Compass Rose InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational organization collaborating on community development initiatives, featured in CLNF's partner section
• illionSo TechnologiescoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner providing web development and IT services, founded by CLNF team member Sagar Pokhrel based in Kathmandu
• Nepal Travel ExperiencecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCLNF's dedicated travel booking platform allowing supporters to explore Nepal while contributing to community projects through their travel bookings
• Continuity CareminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization supporting CLNF initiatives

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Nepal Youth Foundation: US-based nonprofit running education, health, and girls' empowerment programs in Nepal, including residential hostels and anti-trafficking work — directly comparable mission, geography, and beneficiary segments to CLNF's Ghyangphedi program.
• Global Orphan Prevention: US-based nonprofit that directly funds CLNF's Girls Hostel and Empowerment Center for vulnerable girls in Nepal. Highly comparable: small international nonprofit focused on child protection and education in Nepal, relying on donor funding and operating partnerships with ground-level NGOs.
• Compass Rose International: Featured CLNF partner focused on community development initiatives. Comparable as a small international nonprofit working on community development programs with a global donor network.
• Days for Girls: Featured CLNF partner collaborating on menstrual health initiatives. Comparable: international nonprofit running health-and-education programs for women and girls in developing countries, operating through local partner networks and donor funding.
• Lumbini Peace Forum: Nepal-based nonprofit collaborating with CLNF on community environmental initiatives (avocado planting, farmer support) in Ghyangphedi. Directly comparable: grassroots Nepal nonprofit running community development and environmental programs with partner organizations and donor funding.

Broad incumbents

• World Vision International: Major INGO running community development, child sponsorship, health, and education programs globally including in Nepal. Comparable in mission (sustainable community empowerment) and beneficiary focus, though orders of magnitude larger.
• Smile Train: Global nonprofit funding cleft lip and palate surgeries in developing countries, including in Nepal. Directly comparable to SmileHigh/CLNF's cleft-care programming (130+ surgeries) though at much larger scale.
• Mercy Corps: Large INGO operating community development, agriculture, and youth empowerment programs in Nepal and globally. Comparable mission in rural economic development and community resilience; much larger scale.
• Rotary International (Rotary Foundation): CLNF's core global service organization partner that also runs its own community development, health, and education grant programs worldwide. Broad incumbent with vastly larger scale; comparable because Rotary funds and presents CLNF-style grassroots projects globally.

Others

• Organic and Regenerative Investment Co-operative (ORIC): Australian co-operative partner supporting CLNF's sustainable agriculture and agro-business programs. Adjacent enabling partner rather than direct competitor — comparable because it channels investment into regenerative agriculture initiatives CLNF implements in Nepal.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/clnfoundation
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCDLjoW3GGsAHA1H_nyHpKow
• Facebookfacebook.com/CommunityLeadershipNepal
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/clnf
• Instagraminstagram.com/clnfoundation

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

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

Frequently asked questions about Community Leadership Nepal Foundation