Latest news with #FastPitch
Time of India
27-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
City NGO gets Rs 15 lakh grant
Nagpur: Underprivileged Advancement by Youth (UPAY), a Nagpur-based NGO, has secured the Silver Award at Social Venture Partners (SVP) India's Fast Pitch event last week, receiving a Rs 15 lakh grant to enhance their educational programmes for disadvantaged children . The organisation leads initiatives for providing education to underprivileged children in the city. Established in 2010, UPAY has achieved notable success in educational development, community enhancement, and skills training. Speaking to TOI, founder Varun Shrivastava revealed that UPAY operates 10 centres in Nagpur, with primary facilities at Wardhaman Nagar and Cotton Market. "The organisation works closely with families, identifying children from underprivileged backgrounds — especially child beggars — and bringing them to the centres with parental consent. Children are picked up daily at 8.30am, provided with quality education, engaged in sports activities, served two nutritious meals, given clothing, and then dropped back to their homes by 3.30pm," he said. Discussing the organisation further, Shrivastava explained their primary initiative, 'Footpathshala', launched in 2014 to support street children. "Beyond Nagpur, UPAY manages 10 more centres in Mouda and several others in nearby villages. In all, UPAY operates 44 centres across India and has touched over 2.5 lakh lives through its efforts in education, health, sanitation, disaster relief, and community development," said Shrivastava. UPAY additionally focuses on creating economic independence in disadvantaged areas. The organisation identifies and develops local talents and abilities, aiming to establish small-scale industries for sustainable community employment. Shrivastava, an IIT Kharagpur graduate, said, "Our vision is a future where every child will have a dignified childhood and equal opportunity to live, learn, and grow." He collaborated with fellow alumni from various IITs and NIITs to develop one of India's largest volunteer-based NGOs, supported by over 400 active contributors and more than 7,000 volunteers, operating across Delhi NCR, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Meghalaya, and West Bengal.
Business Standard
23-04-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
SVP India Announces Fast Pitch 2025 Finale to Spotlight Grassroots Changemakers Across India
NewsVoir Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 23: Social Venture Partners India (SVP India), India's largest community of engaged philanthropists, will host their annual marquee online event 'Fast Pitch' on April 24. This high-impact virtual fundraising event aims to bring powerful grassroots stories to the fore, offering a national platform for select NGOs to connect with citizens across our country, share their social impact journeys, and raise funds to support their work. Over the past three months, 10 diverse NGOs, shortlisted from 258 applicants across India, have undergone a rigorous training program in storytelling and fundraising. Guided by a professional storytelling trainer and dedicated SVP India partners as coaches, these NGOs are now equipped to communicate their mission with clarity and heart. Speaking on the significance of this event, Govind Iyer, Founding Board Member and All India Chairperson, SVP India stated, "Each non-profit in the Fast Pitch 2025 cohort brings a bold mission rooted in grassroots action. Fast Pitch is about giving these changemakers the tools and the platform to be heard beyond their local communities--by donors, supporters and citizens who believe in long-term change. These are the stories India needs to hear." The ten finalists will present their 5-minute pitches to a distinguished jury - Namita Thapar, Executive Director, Emcure Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Reshma Anand, Regional Director, Ford Foundation India, and Sridhar N E, Chief Sustainability Officer, TITAN Company Ltd. The jury will assess the NGO pitches on their potential for lasting social impact, innovation and resilience. Now in its fourth edition, Fast Pitch has emerged as a powerful enabler of visibility and fundraising in the social sector. Over the past three years, over 5,200 people have tuned into the virtual event, contributing over Rs15.8 crores in grants to 36 NGOs. This year's cohort includes: 1. Anahad Foundation - Working to conserve and evolve India's folk music heritage by empowering the folk musicians with production technology and building the largest repertoire of Indian folk music through extensive audio-video documentation. 2. Biome Environmental Trust - Promoting sustainable, climate resilient water & sanitation systems in association with Governments, diverse communities and corporates in Karnataka. From implementing community-driven water management projects and conducting research with institutions, to shaping water policies and building capacity through hands-on training, Biome is dedicated to promoting sustainable water practices. 3. Eastern Himalayan Foundation - Closing opportunity gaps for youth in North Bengal and the Northeast by providing access to skills, knowledge and training that would allow them to become change agents for themselves and their communities. 4. Lokmanya Public Charitable Trust - Advancing rural underdevelopment by focusing on areas like education, healthcare, skill development, agriculture, women's empowerment, and overall community growth. 5. NeevJivan Foundation - Building alternate livelihood options for tribal women & youth through skill development and vocational training, reducing dependence on agriculture and thereby preventing migration to the cities. 6. NudgED - Addressing the global learning crisis through their free mobile app designed to empower parents in low-income communities to support their young children (ages 3-8) in foundational learning at home. The app provides content in Hindi and Marathi, with audio support, and is optimized for low-end mobile devices to ensure accessibility for all. 7. Sunrise Learning Foundation - Empowering neurodiverse individuals and their families through education, employment readiness skills and parent support services including counselling sessions, training workshops, mom & child programs, certificate courses etc. 8. The One All Trust - Using the sport of Ultimate Frisbee to engage at-risk youth from underprivileged and tribal communities. The organisation focuses on empowering young girls and boys, many of whom face early child marriage, school dropouts, domestic violence and substance abuse. 9. UPAY (Underprivileged Advancement by Youth) - Addressing social issues like illiteracy and unemployment by making quality education accessible to marginalized children in street, urban slums, and rural areas of India through two impactful initiatives - Footpathshaala (Turning Footpaths into Schools) and Reach & Teach (Bringing school to doorstep). 10. Vidyoday Muktangan Parivar Foundation - Reimagining 'science education' in zilla parishad schools by strengthening learning outcomes in government secondary schools through curriculum innovation and teacher support. Fast Pitch 2025 is open to anyone interested in listening to impactful stories about social change. REGISTER at to meet the changemakers, hear their stories, and support their work.
