Persistent Foundation

What Persistent Foundation does

Persistent Foundation is a private, non-profit corporate social responsibility foundation established in 2009 and headquartered in Pune, Maharashtra, India. It operates as the dedicated CSR arm of Persistent Systems (BSE: 533179), the publicly traded IT services company founded by Dr. Anand Deshpande. The foundation runs programs across four thrust areas — Education, Health, Community Development, and Preservation of Heritage and Wildlife — reaching 68,097+ beneficiaries cumulatively over 17 years through a network of 73 implementing NGO partners across 12 Indian locations and five US metros.

Its program portfolio includes the Kiran Girls Scholarship and Mentoring Program (supporting underserved girls in IT/CS degrees), comprehensive cleft care via ABMSS, geriatric cataract surgeries through partnerships with LV Prasad Eye Institute and HelpAge India, pediatric surgeries under the Bal Shalyakriya Mission, support to special schools, study centers, and integrated school development, watershed development across 34 villages, a solar energy initiative with 740 kWp installed capacity, sustainable livelihood training, the Project Kalki bio-culture river remediation pilot, infrastructure development, wildlife rescue support with the Maharashtra Forest Department, and a cultural heritage museum audiobook project.

The foundation does not sell products or services. Its inflow in FY25 totaled INR 81.91 lakhs (~USD 98K) from employee contributions (INR 47.12 lakhs) and other donations (INR 34.79 lakhs), with 100% fund utilization reported; total program expenditure (including INR 83.45 lakhs on Heritage and Wildlife alone) is materially higher than disclosed donations and is underwritten by Persistent Systems' corporate CSR budget. Operations are supported by a 6-person in-house team, a Board of Trustees chaired by Sonali Deshpande, and 10,296 Persistent Systems employee volunteers who contributed 11,683 hours in FY25. Go-to-market is community-led, leveraging Persistent Systems' corporate channels (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram), annual reports, beneficiary testimonials on YouTube, and a website donation portal accepting NEFT and cheque payments.

Name

Persistent Foundation

Legal name

Persistent Foundation

Website

https://persistentfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Persistent Foundation is the non-profit CSR arm of Persistent Systems, running programs in education, health, community development, and heritage/wildlife across India and the US through 73 NGO partners, reaching 68,097+ beneficiaries over 17 years.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit / Charitable Foundation (CSR)

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAKAB

Community Foundations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

SECONDARYBPAGAKAK

Education Grantmaking Foundations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

SECONDARYBPAGAKAL

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

SECONDARYBPAGAKAM

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

Keywords

• Corporate social responsibility
• Education scholarships
• Healthcare access programs
• Community development
• Wildlife heritage preservation

Headquarters

HQ city

Pune

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Corporate Donations and Employee Contributions: The foundation receives donations primarily from Persistent Systems employees and the company itself, with employee donations totaling INR 47.12 lakhs and other donations of INR 34.79 lakhs in FY25.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Persistent Foundation is the CSR arm of Persistent Systems, operating social impact programs across four verticals: Education (scholarships, special schools, study centers, school development), Health (pediatric surgeries, cataract operations, hearing and cleft care, curative healthcare), Community Development (solar energy, watershed conservation, sustainable livelihood, infrastructure, river restoration), and Heritage & Wildlife (wildlife rescue, cultural heritage audiobooks). Programs are funded through employee and external donations and delivered in partnership with 73 implementing NGOs across India and parts of the USA.

Product overview

Persistent Foundation operates as a unified portfolio of social impact programs organized across four focus areas: Education, Health, Community Development, and Heritage & Wildlife Preservation. The Education vertical includes the Kiran Girls Scholarship and Mentoring Program, Support to Special Schools, Study Center Project, and Integrated School Development Program. The Health vertical encompasses Comprehensive Care for Facial Cleft/Cleft Palate, Cataract Operations for the Elderly, Bal Shalyakriya Mission for Pediatric Surgeries, and Curative Healthcare. Community Development programs include Solar Energy Initiative, Watershed Development, Sustainable Livelihood support, Project Kalki, and Infrastructure Development. The Heritage and Wildlife vertical focuses on Wildlife Rescue/Rehabilitation and Cultural Heritage preservation including museum audiobooks. All programs are implemented through NGO partnerships with community engagement, not as a commercial product or platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kiran Girls Scholarship and Mentoring Program: Scholarship program for underprivileged girls pursuing IT and computer science degrees, including mentoring, corporate exposure, and soft-skills training.

Products and services

• Kiran Girls Scholarship and Mentoring Program Scholarship program providing annual scholarships of INR 50,000 plus mentoring, corporate exposure, and soft-skills training for girls from underserved communities pursuing IT and Computer Science degrees; offered by Persistent Foundation as a free educational program.
• Support to Special Schools Comprehensive educational and rehabilitation support for 400 students at 2 schools for hearing and visually impaired children, including school fees, hearing aids, speech therapy, and skill development training.
• Study Center Project After-school support centers providing academic excellence and personal development programs for 700 students from 1st to 10th grade across 18 facilities in Hyderabad and Pune.
• Integrated School Development Program Infrastructure enhancement program covering 11 schools, 2 special education institutions, and 1 residential center, including classroom revitalization, science labs, digital connectivity, sports materials, and WASH programs.
• Comprehensive Care for Children with Facial Cleft/Cleft Palate Partnership with ABMSS providing surgical interventions, orthodontics, speech therapy, and nutritional guidance for children with facial clefts; approximately 5,000 procedures since 2017.
• Cataract Operations for the Elderly Geriatric care initiative providing cataract surgeries with artificial lenses through partnerships with HelpAge India, Dr. Manohar Dole Medical Foundation, and hospitals in Maharashtra, Goa, Telangana, and Karnataka; over 12,500 surgeries to date.
• Bal Shalyakriya Mission for Pediatric Surgeries Surgical care program for underprivileged children with congenital disorders in rural India, addressing urological, orthopedic, spinal, and ophthalmological conditions through partnerships with NGOs and government entities.
• Curative Healthcare (Jaipur Foot and Dialysis) Support for artificial limbs through Jaipur Foot program and dialysis treatment for patients with end-stage kidney failure from socio-economically challenged segments of society.
• Solar Energy Initiative Renewable energy initiative with 11 solar plants totaling 740 kWp capacity generating 350,000 units of electricity and achieving cost savings of INR 3.50 crores since 2015.
• Watershed - Integrated Development Water conservation program aligned with Maharashtra's Jalyukt Shivar Yojana, implementing ridge-to-valley approaches including stream deepening, dam construction, farm ponds, and rainwater harvesting across drought-prone areas affecting 25,000 beneficiaries in 34 villages.
• Support to Sustainable Livelihood Skill development programs offering courses in Assistant Electrician, Bedside Care Assistant, Beauty Therapist, Customer Care Executive, and Nursing, with 450+ young adults trained and placement support.
• Project Kalki (River Restoration) Environmental restoration project using bio-culture solution developed by Ajitkumar Parab to treat contaminated river water; pilot project on Ramnadi river showed drastic improvements in water, air, and soil quality within 20 days.
• Infrastructure Development and Support Infrastructure projects implemented in partnership with Rama Purushottam Foundation, including 168-flat police residence buildings, working women's hostel, and school buildings for VIKALPA society.
• Enabling Rescue and Rehabilitation of Wildlife Wildlife conservation initiative with Maharashtra Forest Department providing specialized vehicles for animal transport, drone-based tiger census systems, and AI-monitored camera traps for wildlife monitoring.
• Support for Cultural Heritage (Museum Audiobook) Digital heritage preservation project developing audiobook guides for Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum covering over 22,000 artifacts with detailed historical context and cultural significance narratives.

Quantifiable outcome

• 68,097+ lives touched across India over 17 years
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

40 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ABMSS (Akila Bharata Mahila Seva Samaja)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Partnership for comprehensive care program for children with facial cleft and cleft palate. ABMSS provides surgical interventions, speech therapy, and nutritional guidance. 58% of Health Care budget dedicated to this cause, enabling nearly 5,000 life-changing procedures since 2017.
• Ashray AkruticoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCenter for hearing impaired in Hyderabad providing comprehensive educational and rehabilitation programs including school fees, hearing aids, speech therapy, and audio therapy.
• BAIF Development Research FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBAIF works on livelihood generation, agriculture development, and biodiversity conservation. Partnership focuses on integrated watershed development and sustainable farming practices.
• LV Prasad Eye InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEye care institute providing cataract surgeries and eye health services. Partnership enables restoration of vision for elderly patients across Maharashtra and Telangana.
• HelpAge IndiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for geriatric care initiatives including cataract surgeries and support for low-income elderly individuals suffering from age-related conditions.
• Seth Tarachand Charitable HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHospital partnership for cataract surgeries and support for underprivileged elderly patients. Solar plant installed at the hospital facility.
• Sri Vivekananda SevashramacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLongstanding partnership for extending eye care services to remote areas. Provided support for cataract surgeries and mobile medical units.
• SarthakcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare NGO partnership for supporting children and elderly through various health interventions including pediatric surgeries.
• Seva SahayogcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation NGO partner supporting study centers and educational programs for underprivileged children in Pune and Mumbai.
• Sparsha - A team for better societycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNGO partner working on educational support and community development initiatives for underprivileged communities.
• Samarthanam Trust for DisabledcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrust providing services for disabled individuals including educational support and skill development programs.
• Poornam ECO VisioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental NGO partnership for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem restoration initiatives.
• Sambhav FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation partnership for community development and sustainable livelihood programs.
• Torana RajgadcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWildlife conservation partner working on biodiversity protection and ecosystem restoration.
• ResQ (Wildlife Rescue)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWildlife rescue NGO. Two specialized rescue vehicles donated to enable efficient wildlife rescue operations across Maharashtra.
• Trunk CallcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWildlife conservation organization. Patrolling vehicle provided serving 80+ villages for human-elephant conflict awareness and rescue operations.
• Satpuda FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWildlife and biodiversity conservation partner working in central India forest regions.
• Agro RangerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgriculture-focused NGO partnership for sustainable farming practices and livelihood enhancement.
• WRCS (Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Society)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWildlife rescue and conservation society partnership for wildlife protection initiatives.
• Gaud Saraswat Brahmin SabhacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare NGO partnership for pediatric surgeries in Nagpur, addressing urological, orthopedic, spinal, and ophthalmological conditions.
• Youth for SevacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth volunteering organization partnership for educational support and community engagement programs.
• Rama Purushottam Foundation (RPF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInfrastructure development partnership for constructing police residences, women's hostels, and school buildings. Partnership includes 22-storey buildings with 168 flats for Maharashtra Police.
• Jnana PrabhodhinicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation NGO partnership for supporting educational initiatives and school development programs.
• SwaroopvardhinicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational institution partnership for supporting school development and student welfare programs.
• CyDA IndiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNGO partnership for education and community development initiatives.
• Bharati VidyapeethcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare institution partnership for medical services and health interventions.
• Moraya Multispeciality Charitable HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHospital partnership for healthcare services including cataract operations and other medical interventions.
• Dr. Manohar Dole Medical FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMedical foundation partnership for geriatric care and cataract surgery support.
• Hyderabad Eye InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEye care institute partnership for cataract surgeries and eye health screenings. Mobile eye screening units deployed in Hyderabad.
• Swami Vivekanand Medical Mission, Khapri NagpurcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMedical mission partnership for healthcare services in Nagpur region.
• Gyan PrabhodhanicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational NGO partner for supporting educational programs and student development initiatives.
• Natural Education for Ecological DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental education NGO partnership for ecological conservation and environmental awareness programs.
• Swa RoopwardhineecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWomen's welfare organization partnership for supporting women and girls through various development programs.
• SevashramacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharitable trust partnership for healthcare and community welfare services.
• Suhrud Mandal SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool for visually impaired in Chinchwad Pune, supported with holistic development programs, school fees, and educational support.
• Jagruti School for Blind GirlscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool for blind girls supported with school fees and housing donations for holistic development.
• World Food MovementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSA partnership providing hot meals to underprivileged students, homeless adults and veterans in New York.
• Elijah's PromisecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSA partnership for providing meals to underprivileged communities in New Jersey.
• Sai AshrayacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSA partnership for supporting underprivileged communities in Santa Clara.
• Mr. Ajitkumar Parab (Kalki Solution Developer)coreTechnology or IntegrationInnovator partnership for water treatment solution 'Kalki' using bio-culture technology. Solution developed by Mr. Parab from Vengurla for river water treatment without mechanical means.

Scale indicators33 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Azim Premji Foundation: India's largest education-focused philanthropic foundation backed by Wipro's founder; comparable on tech-parent sponsorship and Indian scale, with deeper specialization in K-12 education.
• Tata Medical Center Foundation: Tata-group health-focused charitable entity providing cancer treatment access — comparable vertical overlap with Persistent Foundation's pediatric health and cataract surgery programs.
• Reliance Foundation: CSR arm of Reliance Industries operating across health, education, rural transformation, sports, and heritage — comparable multi-vertical Indian corporate foundation with national geographic reach.
• Tata Trusts: India's largest philanthropic trust, historically Tata-group affiliated, operating across health, education, water, and rural transformation at national scale — relevant broad incumbent comparable on geographic and thematic breadth.

Direct peers

• HCL Foundation: CSR arm of HCL Technologies running programs in education, health, environment, livelihoods, and rural development — closely mirrors Persistent Foundation's four-thrust structure and tech-parent sponsorship model.
• Mahindra Foundation: Corporate CSR arm of the Mahindra Group focused on education and employability — directly comparable as a corporate Indian foundation with similar youth/education focus areas.
• Wipro Foundation: CSR arm of Wipro focused on education, community development, and disaster response — directly comparable as a tech-sector Indian corporate foundation with employee volunteer engagement programs.
• Infosys Foundation: Corporate CSR arm of Infosys, operating across education, healthcare, rural development, and arts — directly comparable as a tech-company-sponsored foundation with multi-vertical programs and government partnerships in India.

Emerging players

• Habitat for Humanity India: India-focused nonprofit delivering housing, WASH, and disaster-response programs via NGO partnerships — comparable as a grant-distributing nonprofit that executes programs through implementing partners rather than direct operations.
• Give Foundation: Indian giving platform and foundation that channels corporate and individual donations to vetted NGOs — comparable operating model as a grantmaking intermediary connecting donors with implementing nonprofit partners.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CSR_Persistent
• Facebookfacebook.com/PersistentFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/persistent-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/persistentfoundation?igsh=MXN6c3ozeG9ocTIwNQ==

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Persistent Foundation