What Ekalavya Foundation does

Ekalavya Foundation is a Hyderabad-based non-profit organization founded in 2006 by Sri P. Venugopal Reddy, operating in the rural development and tribal empowerment sector across 13 districts in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. It runs a portfolio of community development programs rather than a technology product, organized around six thrust areas: Natural Resource Management, People's Collectives, Agriculture, Education, Health, and Livelihood. Core programs include the Sustainable Livelihood Development Project (SLDP) backed by NABARD, the Vidya Vahini and Vidya Vikasam education initiatives covering 205 tribal schools and 160 evening tuition centers, watershed development across 21,685 hectares, the Homeo healthcare program, and 33 Farmer Producer Companies with 12,000 farmer-shareholders. The organization holds Section 12A, Section 80G, FCRA, and NSE-SSE Social Stock Exchange registrations.

The foundation's go-to-market is community-led: it establishes Village Development Committees (VDCs) in each village, runs monthly participatory planning meetings, and operationalizes the Sanghatitha Shramadanam collective voluntary service program in which villagers contribute one day per month to community works. Direct field staff, Grama Sahayaks (trained local change agents), and over 1,350 volunteers execute projects across 600+ villages, serving 140,000+ beneficiaries including 60,366 farmers and 88,971 students cumulatively. The model is designed for self-reliance rather than dependency, with documented outcomes such as a 30% increase in stakeholder income, conversion of 3,500 hectares from rainfed to irrigated land, and individual beneficiary incomes rising from Rs 5,000 to Rs 25,000 per month.

As a registered charitable trust, Ekalavya Foundation does not sell a product or charge fees. Its revenue mechanics are grants, individual donations (processed via Razorpay), corporate CSR funding from partners such as NABARD, Maruti Suzuki (JayaBheri), CONCOR, CGI India, and ICICI Academy, and access to social-bond capital via its NSE-SSE listing. Funding is sourced both domestically and (under FCRA) internationally. With 80+ paid employees and no proprietary technology stack, the organization is labor-intensive and operationally dependent on its community institution infrastructure for cost-efficient scale.

Name

Ekalavya Foundation

Legal name

Ekalavya Foundation

Website

https://ekalavya.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Ekalavya Foundation is a Hyderabad-based non-profit, founded in 2006, that runs community-led rural development and tribal empowerment programs across 13 districts in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, serving 140,000+ beneficiaries through livelihood, education, health, agriculture, and natural resource management initiatives funded by grants, donations, and CSR.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rural Community Development Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Support Activities for Agriculture and Forestry (115), Support Activities for Crop Production (11511)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Agricultural Services (700), Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Rural Livelihoods & Economic Empowerment (BPAGABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI), Education Access & Quality (International Development) (BPAGABAE), Agriculture, Food Security & Nutrition Technical Assistance (BPADAEAG)

Keywords

• Rural community development
• Tribal livelihood programs
• Watershed management services
• Vocational skill training
• Agricultural development NGO

Headquarters

HQ city

Hyderabad

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grants and Donations: As an NGO/nonprofit foundation, Ekalavya Foundation operates primarily through grants, donations, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) funding from partner organizations. The foundation accepts donations via Razorpay and has NSE-SSE registration for social bonds.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Ekalavya Foundation is a non-profit organization that delivers rural community development programs for marginalized tribal communities in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Its core offerings span six thrust areas — Natural Resource Management (watershed development, Open WELL water conservation), People's Collectives (Village Development Committees, 33 Farmer Producer Companies with 12,000 farmer-shareholders, Sanghatitha Shramadanam collective voluntary service), Agriculture (Maa Thota), Education (Vidya Vahini in 205 tribal schools, Vidya Vikasam running 160 evening tuition centers for 6,500 students), Health (Homeo Healthcare reaching 20,000 families annually), and Livelihood (SLDP with goat rearing, tailoring, carpentry, paper plate making, mini provisional stores, and backyard poultry). All services are delivered free of charge to beneficiaries, funded through grants, donations, and CSR partnerships.

Product overview

Ekalavya Foundation operates as a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of community development programs rather than a technology product. The core offerings include the Sustainable Livelihood Development Project (SLDP) focused on tribal communities, the Vidya Vahini and Vidya Vikasam education programs, Natural Resource Management through watershed development and water conservation (Open WELL), and various livelihood interventions such as Goat Rearing Units, Tailoring Training, Paper Plate Making Units, Mini Provisional Stores, and Backyard Poultry. The organization also facilitates community institutions including Village Development Committees (VDCs), Farmer Producer Companies (33 FPCs with 12,000 shareholders), and the Sanghatitha Shramadanam voluntary service program. These programs work together to transform villages into self-reliant ecosystems through collective action, agricultural support, education, health interventions, and skill development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sustainable Livelihood Development Project (SLDP) A multipurpose development project conceptualized by NABARD and implemented by Ekalavya Foundation. It targets tribal communities with non-farm livelihoods, animal husbandry, and skill development, including goat rearing, tailoring, paper plate making, mini provisional stores, and backyard poultry provisioning across Sirpur-U and Lingapur mandals.
• Vidya Vahini Education Project An education intervention project reaching 205 tribal schools, providing educational support aimed at empowering tribal students as part of the foundation's education thrust area. Awarded the VIDYA DHATA Award by Vandemataram Foundation at Ravindra Bharathi.
• Vidya Vikasam An evening tuition center program running 160 centers that supports 6,500 tribal students with supplementary education in rural and tribal areas.
• Watershed Development Projects Water conservation initiatives including farm pond construction, check dam construction, and trench digging that convert rainfed land to irrigated land and make uncultivable land productive. Completed across more than 21,685 hectares benefiting 12,500+ families.
• Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs) Collective enterprises established to enable collective farming, marketing, and better income realization for farmers. 33 FPCs have been set up with 12,000 farmers as shareholders.
• Village Development Committees (VDCs) Community-based organizations established in villages to facilitate collective action for village-level development. Monthly meetings are conducted for participatory development planning, inculcating a culture of villager-led planning and implementation.
• Sanghatitha Shramadanam A collective voluntary service program in which villagers participate one day per month in community development activities including road repairs, drainage works, water tank cleaning, and tree plantations.
• Open WELL A water conservation initiative focused on open well restoration and development, positioning each restored well as a source of hope and reliable water supply for rural communities.
• Maa Thota An agricultural livelihood program focused on cultivating livelihoods and enriching the land for tribal communities through empowerment of farmers and improved agricultural practices.
• Livelihood Skill & Enterprise Development (Goat Rearing, Tailoring, Paper Plate Making, Mini Provisional Store, Backyard Poultry) A suite of hands-on livelihood and skill-development offerings for tribal families under the SLDP: goat rearing units (6 goats per family, scaled to 18 in documented cases); vocational tailoring training; paper plate making unit establishment; mini provisional store setup; and backyard poultry provision for income generation and improved nutrition.
• Homeo Healthcare Program A healthcare initiative providing Homeopathic medicines to 20,000 families per year, preventive sunstroke medicines to 10,000 families annually, and supporting COVID vaccination efforts that reached 49,265 persons with two doses.
• Grama Sahayaks Program A volunteer program that identifies and trains local village youth as voluntary change agents who monitor bookkeeping, strengthen farmer clubs, and supervise Natural Resource Management works in their communities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Stakeholder income increased by 30%
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NABARDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNABARD conceptualized and supports the Sustainable Livelihood Development Project (SLDP), a pilot project one of its kind in India focusing on non-farm livelihoods, animal husbandry and skill development. Ekalavya Foundation facilitates and implements this project targeting 500 households from 21 selected tribal villages in Sirpur-U and Lingapur mandals.
• United Way of HyderabadminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEkalavya Foundation presented at United Way of Hyderabad's Synergize event, showcasing their projects and community work.
• ICICI Academy, HyderabadminorOthersICICI Academy faculty member P. Murali Mohan engaged with Ekalavya Foundation for skill development insights and youth identification strategies.
• CGI IndiaminorOthersCSR Head Nanditha from CGI India expressed interest in collaborating with Ekalavya Foundation on innovative projects.
• Maruti Suzuki (JayaBheri)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmployment opportunities provided to tribal youth through JayaBheri program in partnership with Maruti Group of Industries.
• CONCORminorOthersProvision of livelihood opportunities at Gattepally region through CONCOR (Container Corporation of India).

Scale indicators21 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• BAIF Development Research Foundation: Pune-headquartered NGO with 50+ years of work in livestock development, watershed management, and tribal livelihoods across India. Highly comparable operating model focused on tribal/rural communities with agricultural and livestock interventions.
• WOTR (Watershed Organization Trust): Pune-based NGO specializing in watershed development and climate-resilient agriculture across rural India. Highly comparable for Ekalavya's Natural Resource Management thrust area and farmer community mobilization approach.
• PRADAN (Professional Assistance for Development Action): National-level NGO working with rural poor communities across 7+ Indian states on livelihood promotion, women's self-help groups, and natural resource management. Direct peer in rural livelihood development with FPC-equivalent collective models.
• Naandi Foundation: One of India's largest NGOs operating across rural livelihoods, agriculture, education (Nanhi Kali), and water access. Directly comparable as a multi-state Indian nonprofit targeting marginalized communities with integrated rural development programs.
• Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (CSA): Hyderabad-based organization promoting sustainable agriculture practices and FPC formation among small farmers in India. Directly comparable on the agriculture and Farmer Producer Company dimensions of Ekalavya's work.
• Deshpande Foundation: Hubli-based foundation supporting rural entrepreneurship, agriculture, and education in North Karnataka. Comparable as a regional Indian foundation combining livelihood and education programs with community-led approaches.

Broad incumbents

• Tata Trusts: India's largest philanthropic foundation funding rural livelihoods, agriculture, water, and tribal welfare across the country. Broad incumbent operating in the same rural development space with much larger resources and geographic reach.
• GiveIndia: India's largest donation platform aggregating 2,000+ verified NGOs including Ekalavya's peers. Functions as a fundraising intermediary for the same nonprofit ecosystem rather than a direct program operator.

Regional players

• CASA (Centre for Action and Social Advancement): Regional NGO working on tribal livelihoods and natural resource management in central Indian tribal belts. Comparable thematic focus on tribal community empowerment through agricultural and livelihood interventions, though operating in different geographies than Ekalavya.

Emerging players

• SELCO Foundation: Bangalore-based foundation focused on energy access and sustainable livelihoods for underserved communities in India. Comparable as a regional foundation combining technology, livelihoods, and community development with social enterprise orientation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ekalavya297
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCQ4Ex0GaUtp03z10uwwBu0Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/ekalavya.net
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/theekalavyafoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/ekalavya.foundation

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Ekalavya Foundation