The American India Foundation (AIF)

“AIF plays an ever important role in bringing together Americans and Indians to become active contributors to India’s development.”

—     President Bill Clinton, Honorary Chairman of AIF

Founded at the behest of President Bill Clinton in the wake of the 2001 Gujarat earthquakes emanating from a discussion with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the American India Foundation (AIF) serves as a trusted bridge between the world’s two largest democracies – the United States and India – to channel collective, secular and leveraged philanthropy to catalyze and accelerate social and economic change in India.

Over the past decade, AIF has raised and deployed more than $65 million to invest in, develop, and implement a portfolio of development programs in education, livelihoods, and public health, directly impacting the lives of 1.5 million Indians throughout the country while partnering with more than 115 of India’s top non-governmental organizations (“NGOs”), building a trusted network for implementation, scale, and sustainability.

AIF’s programs are strategically focused to align with the greatest needs of India’s most marginalized groups and positioned to catalyze sector-wide changes through replicable and scalable innovations. AIF works in conjunction with public and private (both for profit and non-profit) organizations for maximum impact, including a track record of leveraging between seven and thirteen dollars for every dollar invested in its programs.

Currently, AIF operates five signature programs within the three thematic areas of education, livelihoods, and public health:

·         Learning and Migration Program (LAMP): Education for children of underprivileged rural migrant workers and urban slum dwellers, primarily in migration-prone regions

·         Digital Equalizer (DE): Enhancing the access and use of technology in the classrooms of India’s underserved schools to enhance the quality of education

·         Market Aligned Skills Training (MAST): Skills training and job placement for underprivileged urban youth into formal, high-growth job sectors

·         Rickshaw Sangh: Providing access to credit for the ownership of rickshaws and the increased social benefits that go along with this to rickshaw pullers in India

·         AIF’s “William J. Clinton Fellowship for Service in India”: Connecting young American professionals with Indian NGOs in India for 10 month fellowships to increase NGO capacities and build bridges between the US and India

In addition to these programs, AIF implements an innovative program portfolio that includes a maternal and child survival project and a rural dairy program focused on women and children.

AIF has eight active volunteer led chapters in cities across the U.S. in addition to main offices in New York City and the Bay Area in the U.S. and New Delhi and Bangalore in India. President Clinton serves as Honorary Chair and Nobel Laureate Professor Amartya Sen chairs the Advisory Council.

AIF is grateful for the generous support of the Prashant Fadia Foundation for making this series possible. For more information on AIF, stay tuned for our upcoming stories in the Lokvani series or visit www.aif.org.

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