HID Forum

What HID Forum does

HID Forum is a not-for-profit social development organisation registered in 2002 and headquartered in Bengaluru, India. The organisation works primarily in Karnataka and Telangana, accompanying socio-economically poor communities (Dalits, unorganised sector workers, manual scavengers), civil society organisations, and social sector professionals through capacity building, organisational strengthening, gender mainstreaming, and entitlements facilitation. Its primary "customers" are partner NGOs, community-based facilitators, and marginalised households rather than commercial buyers.

The programmatic portfolio includes Kalika Kendra (12 supplementary learning centres for disadvantaged children across Vijayapura, Kalaburagi, Wadi, and Koppal), Mahila Kattay (women's leadership), Roopantara (community facilitator development), Saha Shakti (organisational strengthening across 11 partner organisations in eight Karnataka districts), Gender & Sexuality Awareness, Manual Scavengers Empowerment under the PEMSR Act, and Linkages to Government Departments. Documented outcomes include over 2,500 entitlements facilitated, Rs. 25 lakhs in community net income generated, and sensitisation of 247 police and Women & Child Department personnel.

HID Forum does not operate a commercial pricing model. It is funded through grants and donations from a narrow set of institutional donors (Misereor, Astrea, AID Covid, APPI) and individual contributors. The organisation runs a lean in-house team under CEO John Shanth Kumar Joseph, is governed by a multi-member Board and General Body, and publishes audited annual reports, financial statements, and quarterly FCRA receipts on its website. No proprietary technology platform or AI capabilities are disclosed; service delivery is grounded in direct field engagement and community-based facilitation.

Name

HID Forum

Legal name

HID Forum

Website

https://hidforum.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

HID Forum is a Bengaluru-based not-for-profit social development organisation founded in 2002 that delivers capacity building, organisational strengthening, and entitlements facilitation programmes for civil society organisations and marginalised communities across Karnataka and Telangana, India.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Development and Community Capacity Building Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Minority, Indigenous & Disability Rights (BPADAGAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Social development programmes
• NGO capacity building
• Community development
• Organizational strengthening
• Women's leadership training

Headquarters

HQ city

Bengaluru

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grants and Donations: HID Forum is a not-for-profit social development organisation supported by partners including Misereor, Astrea, AID Covid, APPI, and individual donors. The organisation receives support for various programme components including organisational strengthening and capacity building initiatives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

HID Forum is a not-for-profit social development organization that designs and delivers community development programmes and capacity-building services. Its core offerings include organizational strengthening for NGOs, social sector professional training, women's leadership development, supplementary learning centres for children, gender and sexuality awareness initiatives, and facilitation of access to government entitlements for marginalized communities in Karnataka and Telangana.

Product overview

HID Forum is a not-for-profit social development organisation offering a portfolio of community development programmes and capacity-building services. The portfolio includes educational support through Kalika Kendras (learning centres), women's leadership initiatives (Mahila Kattay), community facilitation programmes (Roopantara), gender awareness training, organisational strengthening services (Saha Shakti), and government linkage awareness programmes. These programmes are designed to accompany socio-economically poor communities and civil society organisations in Karnataka and Telangana states.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kalika Kendra (Supplementary Learning Centres) Supplementary learning centres for disadvantaged children from classes 1 to 5 in socio-economically poor communities, helping them cope better in mainstream schools through academic tutoring, cultural activities and parent engagement. 12 Kalika Kendras function across Vijayapura, Kalaburagi, Wadi and Koppal.
• Mahila Kattay (Women's Leadership Programme) Women's leadership programme providing local leadership training to women from socio-economically weaker sections, implemented in partnership with district-level communities such as Davanagere.
• Roopantara Initiative to develop community-based facilitators who collectivise communities and facilitate shifts to collectively identified visions for change, upholding democracy, diversity and an intersectional approach.
• Saha Shakti Organisational strengthening programme that brings together partner organisations to develop strategic plans, policies, governance, proposal development and other organisational capabilities through long-term accompaniment.
• Manual Scavengers Empowerment Programme Capacity building initiative to strengthen local organisations working with manual scavengers, covering PEMSR ACT orientation, entitlements access and facilitation of alternative livelihoods for socio-economically poor communities.
• Gender & Sexuality Awareness Programmes Programmes aimed at building awareness and fostering inclusivity regarding gender and sexuality (LGBTQIA+), including sensitisation for police personnel and officers from the women and child department, and engagement with Jogappa/Jogti transgender communities.
• Community Level Leadership Building A 3-year initiative designed to help community leaders develop professional skills for managing communities, incubating 30 individuals from socio-economically disadvantaged communities.
• Roopantara Association (Community of Practice) Community of practice for people-centred dialogue established to enable Roopantaras and HIDF to continue collaboration, knowledge sharing and ongoing accompaniment beyond discrete programme cycles.
• Organisational Strengthening for NGOs/CSOs Capacity-building initiatives supporting governance, financial systems, strategic planning, gender mainstreaming and proposal development of partner NGOs and CSOs to enable social impact in the sector.
• Social Sector Professionals Capacity Building Professional training programmes on various requirements for social sector workers, including leadership, programme delivery and facilitation skills, supported by Misereor, Astrea and individual donors.
• Linkages to Government Departments Awareness programmes on government schemes including pensions, disability benefits, identity cards, family assistance and certificate services, helping communities access over 2,500 entitlements.
• COVID-19 Response Programme Emergency relief initiative covering food security, COVID prevention, healthcare access, government coordination and livelihood support across 75 villages and 40 wards in 10 districts of Karnataka, supporting 3,000+ families.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2,500 entitlements facilitated (pensions, scholarships, toolkits)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and NGOscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary partners engaged in implementation of development projects. HIDF provides organisational development, institution building, and human resource development support.
• Networks and AlliancescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment-focused networks pursuing collective objectives through collaborative approaches and shared resources.
• Davanagere District CommunitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal implementation partner for Mahila Kattay women's leadership programme, with 25 selected women participating.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• CREA: India-headquartered international organisation advancing gender equality, sexual and reproductive rights, and LGBTQIA+ inclusion. Comparable in gender-rights programmatic focus and rights-based advocacy methodology, though at a larger national scale.
• Sangama: Karnataka-based organisation working on LGBTQIA+ rights, including sex workers' rights and gender minorities. Closely comparable to HID Forum's Jogappa/Jogti transgender community programmes and gender-sensitisation work in the same state.
• Vimochana: Bangalore-based women's rights organisation working on gender-based violence, leadership and feminist movement building. Directly comparable to HID Forum's Mahila Kattay programme in geography, focus area and grassroots women's empowerment approach.
• Hasiru Dala: Bangalore-based non-profit organising waste picker communities for livelihoods, entitlements and rights. Comparable in geography, community-led development model, and focus on socio-economically poor communities accessing government entitlements.
• Swayam Shikshan Prayog: Maharashtra-based non-profit focused on rural women's empowerment, leadership and self-help groups. Comparable in building leadership pipelines for women from socio-economically disadvantaged communities, akin to HID Forum's Mahila Kattay programme.
• Pact India: International NGO with deep India operations focused on organisational capacity building, governance and grant management for local CSOs. Closely comparable to HID Forum's Saha Shakti organisational strengthening programme and shared funder ecosystem.
• National Foundation for India: India-based grantmaking and capacity-building organisation supporting civil society through funding, training and institution building. Comparable as both a capacity-building provider to NGOs and as a peer in the Indian social-sector ecosystem.
• SWATI (Society for Women's Action and Training Initiatives): India-based organisation working on gender equity, women's rights and policy advocacy. Comparable as a women-and-gender-focused non-profit with similar programmatic depth in community mobilisation and entitlements access.
• National Dalit Movement for Justice: National-level network advocating for Dalit human rights, with a strong focus on manual scavengers and atrocities-affected communities. Closely comparable to HID Forum's Manual Scavengers Empowerment Programme and Dalit-led rights work.
• Vacha Trust: Mumbai-based NGO working on empowerment of women and girls through education, life skills and self-defence. Comparable as a women-and-girls-focused non-profit with similar community-based learning-centre model and rights-based approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hid-forum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 HID Forum