1. What is the Deshpande Foundation?

The Deshpande Foundation is the family foundation of Gururaj (“Desh”) and Jaishree Deshpande [ß link to their bios]. Based in Stoneham, MA, it is a philanthropy dedicated to funding non-profits in Massachusetts and in the Hubli-Dharwad region of Karnataka, India. It was started in 1996.

2. Who are the trustees of the Foundation?

Gururaj (“Desh”) and Jaishree Deshpande are the trustees of the Deshpande Foundation

3. What kind of programs does the Foundation fund?

The Deshpande Foundation looks for organizations which:

Funding is allocated into four main sectors: Agriculture/Environment, Microcredit/Livelihood, Education and Health.

4. Where does the Deshpande Foundation fund programs?

Current funding efforts are for the MIT Deshpande Center, organizations working within the five districts of the “Sandbox”, and major venture philanthropy efforts in both Massachusetts and India.

5. What is the “Sandbox?”

The Sandbox is a geographically defined area in India. It is located in the northwest corner of the state of Karnataka, and it centers around the twin cities of Hubli and Dharwad. A map is available here. The area has diverse economies throughout its five districts, with both urban and agricultural settings.

Desh and Jaishree Deshpande are both originally from the Hubli-Dharwad area. As a result, the Foundation centers its efforts on their hometown as a lab for social innovation.

6. What type of organizations can apply for grants?

The Deshpande Foundation accepts grant proposals from organizations that are registered in the United States as a 501C3 charitable organization. If your organization is not based in the United States, you will be required to show that you are the equivalent of a US-501C3 charitable organization. For NGO’s in India, this will include documentation of 80-G certification and an FCRA number. Non-US NGO’s will be provided a checklist of required documents at the appropriate time in the grant application process.

7. What legal status must my organization in India have to be eligible for a grant?

Your organization must have 80G approval, FCRA approval or Section 25 company registration documents, as well as audited financial records and information about the Board of Trustees.

8. How do I apply for a Deshpande Foundation grant?

Please see Grant Guidelines. Please note that the Deshpande Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals. However, if you would like to partner with us or if you have questions, please send basic information about your organization to deshpandeinfo@deshpandefoundation.org. We will contact your organization directly if we are interested.

9. If I do not have access to the Internet and need to mail a copy of my request, to whom do I address the request?

You may send your request to our offices, which are located at:

10. If I submit a request online through your Web site, do I need to mail a hard copy of the request as well?

No.

11.What are your deadlines for request submission?

We provide grants on a January 1st to December 31st timeframe. To receive funding, please ensure that you are in contact with us by August 31st.

12. How long does it take to review a proposal?

Due to staff limitations, it takes one to two months to review a proposal.

13. Do you fund individuals?

No.

14. What is the typical size of grants?

We make grants from $5,000 up to several million dollars. The amount that an organization is awarded depends upon their abilities and strengths in our stated criteria areas.

15. What is the duration of grants?

Grants are given for one year. However, if an organization shows the ability to successfully implement and scale their programs, we may enter into a multi-year partnership with them.

16. Does the DF accept donations?

No, but we urge interested parties to donate directly to our individual partners by either contacting the organizations directly or through Give2Asia .

17. How can I get involved with your NGO partners?

Please see our Opportunities page [ßlink to that page]. Also visit the Organization page [ß link to that page] for each organization’s contact info, and feel free to be in contact with them directly.

18. What else does the DF provide its grantees?

We arrange workshops, seminars, and conferences for our grantees to facilitate partnerships, information sharing, and to help our grantees improve their programs. We also connect our grantees with partners across the world, including academics, industry professionals, or major development networks.

19. How do you evaluate your partners?

We evaluate our partners on several pre-determined criterion that assess each organization’s progress in serving its beneficiaries, overall management, strategic planning, staffing, evaluation, and finances. Please see our Evaluation Philosophy

20. Do you provide internships?

Yes. Please see our Fellowships page.

21. What is a Self-Help Group?

A Self-Help Group (SHG) is a group of individuals, often women, who come together to work on a specific project, usually in agriculture, micro-finance, skills building, and livelihoods.