How we started

In 2003, a close family member of one of us - a teacher at a Government school in Chennai, India - asked for financial help for her school so that they could construct a kitchen for their free lunch program. We were able to help the school with this request, and figured that more schools like this one would need help as well. We continued working with the Jaigopal Garodia Foundation that ran this particular school, to help this school, and found other schools like it that needed help. Fundraising among family and friends led to the need to formally register OPEN as a non-profit organization in the US, and eventually in India.

What we are now

We are a non-profit organization devoted to providing education for poor children in India. We run a scholarship program that benefits 120 students annually for post-secondary Vocational 3 year diplomas, 3 year B.Com., B.Sc. and B.C.A degrees, and 4 year Engineering degrees. We fund supplemental English and Math education programs, run by Vidyarambam Trust, in K-12 government schools in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. We fund extra-curricular reading programs through libraries, and science and arts clubs, run by Ashraya Trust, at four schools in rural Karnataka.  We fund classroom construction and provide furniture and other infrastructure to schools in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. We fund after-school supplemental coaching in Math for children in government schools in Bangalore in partnership with APR Trust, and fund Single Teacher Classrooms run by our partner Vivekananda Society in rural Tamil Nadu.

From 2003 to Dec 2018, we have supported over 33,000 underprivileged children through grants of over $950,000 - grants towards scholarships, and towards infrastructure and operational expenses for schools catering to underprivileged children. Our overhead expenses have averaged about 2%, the main portion of which are payment processing charges for online contributions.

We have been recognized a non-profit public foundation  by the US Internal Revenue Service, and all contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by the US IRS. Here is a copy of our 501(c)(3) recognition. We are also registered as a charitable foundation in India under section 80G of the Indian Income Tax Act, and contributions in Indian Rupees are tax-deductible in India to the extent permitted by Indian tax laws. We are fully compliant with all tax filing requirements in the USA and in India. 

Donors can directly influence a child's life through OPEN's Ignite Scholarship program, which provides scholarships for needy children for school, vocational diploma, and college education. OPEN typically funds up to $400 annually for students in college. Students with fees in excess of this amount are expected to raise monies from other sources.

Contributions are suggested at one of the three levels below. They are also welcome at any amount the donor sees fit.

• $50: full annual school fees and supplies for a Kindergarten-12th Grade school student.
• $100: partial scholarship towards annual fees and supplies for a student in a B.Sc./B.Com./B.E. or Vocational training program; or partial scholarship towards boarding, lodging, and annual fees and supplies for a K-12 student in a school residential program.
  
• $200 toward partial scholarship for a student in a B.Sc./B.Com./B.E. or a Vocational training program; or full scholarship towards boarding, lodging, and annual fees and supplies for a K-12 student in a school residential program.