What Project Eduaccess does

Project EduAccess is a non-profit initiative founded in 2021 that provides free mentorship, workshops, and resources to help learners from marginalised communities in the Global South access higher education and related opportunities. It operates across three South Asian countries — India, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan — and runs five core programmes: the India Graduate Mentorship Programme (1:1 mentorship for postgraduate applications abroad, launched 2022), the Sri Lanka Graduate Mentorship Programme (launched 2024), the PRISM Fellowship and PRISM National Fellowship (fully-funded 2-month residential STEM research placements at NCBS Bangalore and other Indian research institutions), and the Emkaan Fellowship (12-week leadership programme for Afghan women, in collaboration with Dosti Network). Supporting assets include a publicly available library of online workshop recordings, downloadable guides on application documents (CV, personal statement, SoP, research proposal, LoRs), and in-person workshops held at partner institutions.

The organisation has no proprietary technology platform; its delivery infrastructure consists of a Wix website, Google Forms for applications, YouTube for content distribution, and Google Drive for resource sharing. It relies on a volunteer mentorship model with a named team of 26+ individuals and a network of 600+ expert mentors drawn from top global universities. Reported outcomes include 2000+ mentees mentored, 800+ university admission offers, and 120+ fully-funded scholarships won at institutions including Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, Yale, Columbia, NYU, LSE, UCL, with scholarships including Rhodes, Chevening, Commonwealth Shared, Felix, Inlaks, Clarendon, Weidenfeld-Hoffmann, and Erasmus Mundus.

Business model and revenue mechanics: Project EduAccess is entirely free for beneficiaries across all programmes (freemium/pricing-model label notwithstanding, there is no paid tier), with no commercial revenue generation. Operations are funded by grants and awards — the only explicitly named funding source is the Thatcher Development Award of Somerville College, University of Oxford, which supported the 2022 Kashmir workshop. Strategic partnerships with institutions such as NCBS, InSDB, OICSD (Oxford), Dosti Network, University of Kashmir, and KIMS provide programme co-delivery and reach amplification. Distribution is global/digital for content and regional for in-person and residential components; the go-to-market motion is community-led and event-driven, relying on open-for-all webinars, social media, and word-of-mouth.

Name

Project Eduaccess

Legal name

Project EduAccess

Website

https://projecteduaccess.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Project EduAccess is a volunteer-powered, grant-funded non-profit founded in 2021 that provides free mentorship, fellowships, and workshops to marginalised learners in India, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan to help them access higher education, STEM research, and leadership opportunities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Access Mentorship Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Support Services (6117), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Access & EdTech for Equity (Low-cost Learning, Skills Platforms) (BPAGALAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

NGO/Nonprofit Education Programs & Service Delivery (EDADALAC), Online Tutoring, Conversation Exchange & Language Coaching Platforms (EDAFAOAB), Specialized Learning Support (Dyslexia/LD Coaching, Assistive Strategies) (EDAJALAJ), Education, Skills & Workforce Development Aid Programs (BPADABAE)

Keywords

• Higher education access
• Graduate mentorship programmes
• Scholarship guidance services
• STEM research fellowships
• Education equity non-profit

Headquarters

HQ city

Not specified

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Non-profit / Grant-funded operations: Project EduAccess is a non-profit initiative operating on volunteer effort and grant funding. It provides all services (mentorship, workshops, resources) free of cost to beneficiaries. Revenue is not generated commercially; the organisation relies on awards (e.g., Thatcher Development Award of Somerville College, University of Oxford) and likely donor/grant support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Project EduAccess provides free mentorship, workshops, and resources to learners from marginalised communities in South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan) to help them access higher education and related opportunities. Its core offerings include the India Graduate Mentorship Programme and Sri Lanka Graduate Mentorship Programme (1:1 mentorship for postgraduate applications), the PRISM Fellowship at NCBS and PRISM National Fellowship (immersive STEM research placements), the Emkaan Fellowship (leadership programme for Afghan women), and supporting online workshops, downloadable application guides, and an advocacy programme. All services are free of cost to beneficiaries, funded by grants and awards, and delivered through a volunteer mentor network.

Product overview

Project Eduaccess operates as a platform offering free mentorship and educational support services to learners from marginalised communities in the Global South, primarily in India, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan. The core offerings include the India Graduate Mentorship Programme and Sri Lanka Graduate Mentorship Programme, which provide 1:1 mentorship for postgraduate study applications abroad. The PRISM Fellowship and PRISM National Fellowship offer immersive research opportunities for life science students from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Emkaan Fellowship provides leadership development for Afghan women. Supporting these programmes are online workshop series, downloadable guides on application documents, and advocacy initiatives. The organisation does not employ a traditional software product architecture but rather delivers human-centred mentorship and educational resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• India Graduate Mentorship Programme Free mentorship initiative supporting Indian learners from marginalised communities to apply for postgraduate studies abroad, providing 1:1 mentorship, workshops, scholarship guidance, and psychosocial assistance. To date, the programme has helped mentees secure over 800 admission offers from top universities worldwide.
• PRISM Fellowship at NCBS Two-month immersive, fully-funded residential research programme hosted at the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) Bangalore, designed to nurture life science researchers from underrepresented backgrounds through laboratory placements and academic skills development.
• PRISM National Fellowship Fully-funded two-month research programme offering lab placements across leading Indian research institutions (IISER Pune, IISER Berhampur, CCMB Hyderabad, ACTREC Pune, ARI Pune, IISER Tirupati, Ashoka University, CHINTA Kolkata), designed for life science students from disadvantaged backgrounds in India, in collaboration with NCBS and InSDB.
• Sri Lanka Graduate Mentorship Programme Free mentorship programme helping Sri Lankan individuals pursue higher education abroad, providing personalised 1:1 mentorship, workshops, and scholarship guidance for postgraduate degrees including PhD.
• Emkaan Fellowship Twelve-week leadership and capacity-building programme for Afghan women aged 18-22, offered in collaboration with the Dosti Network, covering leadership development, personal growth, gender justice, and professional skills.
• Online Workshops Series Regularly organised public workshops covering various aspects of university and scholarship applications, including sessions on PhD applications, funding opportunities, CV writing, personal statements, and specific scholarships such as Chevening, Commonwealth, and Gates Cambridge. 30+ workshops were held between September 2022 and June 2023, with recordings hosted on YouTube and Google Drive.
• Guides on Application Documents Series of downloadable guides supporting applicants with university and scholarship applications, covering CV writing, personal statements, statements of purpose, research proposals, and letters of recommendation.
• Advocacy Programme Initiative advocating with public and private sector entities to make higher education and opportunities truly accessible for all, addressing systemic barriers to education access.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2000+ mentees mentored; 800+ university admission offers; 120+ fully-funded scholarships won at top global institutions (Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, Yale, Columbia, NYU, LSE, UCL, etc.)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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 secondary and core.

• Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development (OICSD), Somerville College, University of OxfordsecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 December 2022Project EduAccess organised a workshop on scholarships for Indian students at the University of Oxford in collaboration with OICSD on 10 December 2022. OICSD representatives (Programme Director and Partnerships Manager) led the workshop and outlined scholarships available for graduate students from India.
• Kashmiri Institute of Mathematical Sciences (KIMS)secondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 September 2022Project EduAccess organised a workshop on studying abroad for Kashmiri students in collaboration with KIMS on 25 September 2022. KIMS is the local institutional partner for the workshop held in Kashmir.
• Centre for Career Planning and Counselling, University of KashmirsecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 August 2022Project EduAccess, in collaboration with the Centre for Career Planning and Counselling at the University of Kashmir, organised a free three-day in-person workshop on studying abroad from 29-31 August 2022 at the University of Kashmir. Sessions covered CV writing, personal statements, funding, and PhD applications.
• Dosti NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject EduAccess partners with Dosti Network for its Afghanistan operations. The Emkaan Fellowship (12-week leadership programme for Afghan women) is offered in collaboration with the Dosti Network. The Dosti Network logo appears on the Afghanistan page of the Project EduAccess website.
• National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), BangalorecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCBS is the host institution for the PRISM Fellowship — a 2-month immersive fully-funded research programme for life science students from underrepresented backgrounds in India. Fellows are placed in NCBS research labs under faculty mentorship. The NCBS logo appears on the PRISM Fellowship page.
• Indian Society of Developmental Biologists (InSDB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInSDB co-operates with Project EduAccess and NCBS on the PRISM National Fellowship, which offers lab placements across leading research institutions in India. The InSDB logo appears on the PRISM National Fellowship page.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Khan Academy: Global non-profit providing free online educational content across subjects and levels; comparable in zero-cost learner-access mission and global scale but focused on K-12/early-college content rather than graduate-admissions mentorship.
• Malala Fund: Global non-profit co-founded by Malala Yousafzai advocating for girls' secondary and higher education access across South Asia and beyond; comparable in mission (girls' higher-education access) and advocacy component, but operates globally and at significantly larger scale.
• The/Nudge Foundation: Indian non-profit tackling poverty through livelihood, education, and skilling initiatives at scale; broader in scope than Project EduAccess but comparable in operating model, target population, and outcome-driven philanthropy.

Direct peers

• Pratham: One of India's largest education non-profits focused on improving learning outcomes for underprivileged children; comparable as a high-scale Indian education-equity NGO with measurable outcome reporting and institutional partnerships.
• Akanksha Foundation: Indian non-profit running schools and after-school programmes for children from low-income communities; comparable in equity-focused education delivery, volunteer engagement, and emphasis on long-term educational pathways.
• Teach For India: India-wide non-profit placing high-potential graduates in low-income schools to address education inequity; comparable in mobilising skilled volunteers, targeting marginalised learners, and pursuing systemic education-access change.
• School of Leadership Afghanistan (SOLA): Afghanistan-focused non-profit providing educational and leadership programmes for Afghan women and girls; directly comparable to Project EduAccess's Emkaan Fellowship in target beneficiary, regional focus, and advocacy-driven delivery model.
• Quest Alliance: Indian non-profit delivering education, life-skills, and workforce-readiness programmes for marginalised youth; comparable in target beneficiary (under-resourced learners), free delivery model, and outcome-tracking orientation.
• Agami: Indian non-profit focused on expanding access to justice and education through seed funding and ecosystem support; shares Project EduAccess's mission of using philanthropic capital to dismantle systemic access barriers for underserved Indian populations.

Emerging players

• Buddy4Study: Indian scholarship discovery and application-support platform; comparable in scholarship-navigation support for Indian learners but operates as a commercial platform rather than a free volunteer-led non-profit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/projeduaccess
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ProjectEduAccess
• Facebookfacebook.com/projecteduaccess
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/project-eduaccess
• Instagraminstagram.com/projecteduaccess

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Project Eduaccess