What Mlinda Charitable Trust does

Mlinda Charitable Trust (MCT) is an India-registered Public Charitable Trust established in March 2012 under the Indian Trusts Act in West Bengal. It operates as the India arm of the Mlinda Group, whose lead entity is Mlinda Foundation CIO, a UK-registered charity (No. 1163028). MCT's mission is to enable financially and environmentally sustainable rural livelihoods through decentralized solar renewable energy, delivered first in the Sunderbans (West Bengal) from 2014 and currently centered in Gumla district, Jharkhand.

MCT's core offering is the deployment of village-level solar mini-grids that supply electricity for domestic, agricultural, and enterprise use, supplemented by livelihood interventions such as solar irrigation pumps, grain processing units (hullers, pulverisers), brick-making, oil processing, cold storage pilots, and street lighting. Its differentiated technology is the mini-grid architecture itself - a decentralized, village-scale renewable system that powers 1,250+ farm, non-farm, and institutional loads and supports 7,200 households across 31 villages. Field officers remain on-site 24/7 for maintenance, and Self-Help Group (SHG) members (notably women) are trained in value-added processing of turmeric, millet, Sal Leaf, and forest produce.

MCT is a not-for-profit entity funded primarily through grants and donations from the Mlinda Foundation and a portfolio of development partners including NABARD, Philips Foundation (via TARA), Oak Foundation, MILAAP, Rang De, and CES Limited. It holds FCRA registration (No. 147111148, 24 June 2016) enabling foreign contributions. It does not sell a priced product; its customer-facing beneficiaries are rural households, micro-entrepreneurs, SHGs, and smallholder farmers. Operationally, it runs with a deliberately lean team of approximately 8 staff, including General Manager Shelly J Kerketta and Head of Finance Gokul Prasad Barik, under trustees Damodar Pandharinath Vaidya, Arvind Dubash, and Tanya Dubash.

Name

Mlinda Charitable Trust

Legal name

Mlinda Charitable Trust

Website

https://mlinda.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Mlinda Charitable Trust is an India-registered not-for-profit that deploys decentralized solar mini-grids and livelihood programs in rural Gumla district, Jharkhand, serving 7,200 households across 31 villages with clean energy for domestic, agricultural, and micro-enterprise use.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rural Clean Energy and Livelihood Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

Keywords

• Rural electrification services
• Solar mini-grid systems
• Clean energy access
• Rural livelihood development
• Community development programs

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding and Donations: As a not-for-profit entity (Public Charitable Trust), Mlinda Charitable Trust is primarily funded through grants and donations from the Mlinda Group, foundations, and development organizations. Funding supports rural electrification projects and livelihood development programs.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Mlinda Charitable Trust operates as a not-for-profit Public Charitable Trust that builds decentralized solar mini-grid infrastructure in rural villages and delivers community-led economic development programs. It supports rural households, women-led Self-Help Groups, and micro-entrepreneurs in Gumla district, Jharkhand (and formerly the Sunderbans) with clean energy access, value-addition training (turmeric, millet, sal leaf plate making), and enterprise development.

Product overview

Mlinda Charitable Trust operates as a not-for-profit focused on rural electrification and sustainable economic development through clean energy. Their primary offering consists of decentralized solar-based mini-grid systems that provide electricity to rural communities in Gumla district, Jharkhand. These mini-grids power agricultural and domestic needs and enable various livelihood interventions including micro-enterprise development, value-added agricultural processing (turmeric, millet, mustard oil, karanj oil), and skill training programs for Self-Help Groups. The organization does not offer a structured product portfolio with named product modules; rather, their services encompass solar mini-grid installation, livelihood enterprise development programs (LEDP), training for women SHG members, and community entrepreneurship support. Key interventions include irrigation pumps, grain processing units (hullers, pulverisers), brick-making enterprises, welding, poultry, mustard oil processing, cold storage pilots, and street lighting installation across villages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Solar Mini-Grid Installation and Operations Decentralized village-level solar mini-grid systems providing electricity for domestic, agricultural, and enterprise loads to rural households and small businesses in Gumla district, Jharkhand. Built and operated in partnership with Mlinda Sustainable Environment (Private) Ltd.
• Livelihood Enterprise Development Programme (LEDP) Structured livelihood program delivered with NABARD to deliver value-addition training in turmeric processing and sal leaf plate making for 90 Self-Help Group members using clean energy. Implementation period 2023-2025.
• Micro-Enterprise Development and Credit Linkage Support for micro and small enterprises powered by clean energy, including financial assistance through peer-to-peer lending partnership with Rang De to help rural entrepreneurs establish income-generating activities.
• Village Street Lighting Programme Solar-powered street lighting installed across 30-31 villages through partnership with Philips Foundation via TARA to improve community safety and access.

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• CES Limited (Clean Energy Solutions)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Grant support for machinery for processing of primary agricultural products since 2022.
• Philips Foundation / TARAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Philips Foundation project through TARA to provide street lighting in 30 villages from 2019-2024.
• Mlinda Sustainable Environment (Private) LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Within the Mlinda Group structure, MSEPL builds and operates the solar mini-grids in Gumla district while MCT provides economic development support.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Swayam Shikshan Prayog: Indian non-profit empowering women's SHGs through livelihoods, clean energy, and climate-resilient agriculture. Strongly comparable to MCT's women-SHG-focused enterprise development (turmeric, millet, Sal leaf plate) and its rural Maharashtra/Jharkhand operational footprint.
• Gram Oorja Solutions: India-based social enterprise designing and installing solar micro-grids for unelectrified rural villages. Directly comparable on technology (solar mini-grids), customer (off-grid rural communities), and integrated livelihood-support mission.
• Husk Power Systems: Operates decentralized mini-grids in rural Bihar and other Indian states, supplying electricity to off-grid households and small enterprises. Directly comparable to MCT on the mini-grid technology, target geography (rural India), and end-customer profile.
• PRADAN: Prominent Indian NGO promoting rural livelihoods through women's SHGs, agriculture, and micro-enterprise development. Comparable on the operating-NGO model and on the integrated livelihood-plus-energy framing of rural development programmes, though without MCT's mini-grid core.
• Mera Gao Power: Operates micro-grids in rural Uttar Pradesh serving low-income households with DC power for lighting and mobile charging. Direct mini-grid peer in India targeting similar energy-poor customers, though on a smaller per-village scale than MCT.
• SELCO Foundation: Indian charitable foundation that, like Mlinda Charitable Trust, combines a non-profit operating model with decentralized solar energy access for underserved rural households. Closest analog in mission, structure (foundation), and integrated energy-plus-livelihood approach.
• OMC Power: Operates rural India mini-grids powering households and small businesses with pay-as-you-go metering. Comparable on the mini-grid distribution model and end-customer (rural SMBs and households), though OMC is a commercial operator rather than a charitable trust.

Broad incumbents

• d.light: Global off-grid solar company distributing solar lanterns, home systems, and pay-as-you-go energy products across Africa and South Asia. Overlaps with MCT on end-customer profile (energy-poor households) but addresses distributed solar products rather than centralized mini-grids.

Others

• The/Nudge Foundation: India-based impact organization working on livelihoods and poverty alleviation through skilling, entrepreneurship, and rural programs. Comparable mission space (rural livelihoods in India) and adjacent funding ecosystem, though not focused on energy infrastructure.

Emerging players

• Frontier Markets: India-based last-mile distribution and digital platform serving rural households with energy, agri, and livelihood products. Partial overlap with MCT on rural energy-and-livelihood mission but with a more commercial, distribution-led model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mlinda-charitable-trust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Mlinda Charitable Trust