About Us
Sustainability, social equality and the environment are now business problems. And corporate leaders can't depend on governments to solve them..
Inspired by Senge's philosophy, a group of young corporate professionals came together in 2002 to set up Smile Foundation to work with grassroots initiatives for effecting positive changes in the lives of underprivileged children, their families and communities.
Work as a catalyst in bringing sustainable change in the lives of underprivileged children, youth and women, with a life-cycle approach of development.
Enable the civil society across the world to engage proactively in the change process through the philosophy of civic driven change.
Adopt highest standards of governance to emerge as a leading knowledge and technology driven, innovative and scalable international development organisation.
Smile Foundation is to empower underprivileged children, youth and women through relevant education, innovative healthcare and market-focused livelihood programmes.
Smile Foundation is to deploy best possible methodology and technology for achieving ideal SROI (social return on investment), to practice and promote good governance. To link business competitiveness of the corporate with social development initiatives; also to sensitize privileged children, youth and citizens in general to promote Civic Driven Change.
Smile Foundation believes that unless members of the civil society are involved proactively in the process of development, sustainable change will not happen. Believing in this principle of 'Civic Driven Change', Smile Foundation sensitises the civil society in order to make them partners in its mission.
Smile Foundation is managed by a Board of Advisors comprising individuals from diverse backgrounds and expertise. The board is formed for a period of one year and a few independent members of eminence and reputation are nominated each year. Members of this board meet once every quarter.
An associate member of ICSI (Institute of Company Secretaries of India) and an alumni of Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A). A law graduate, Mr. Mishra specialises in enterprise transformation, strategies and scaling up.
A Chartered Accountant, Cost and Management Accountant and a Company Secretary, Mr. Manish Kumar specializes in Strategic Management Consulting, International Finance and Entrepreneurship Development. As an Investor and a Philanthropist he has multidimensional exposure spread across various sectors in India and abroad. He has been associated with various charitable organizations and social causes aimed at alleviating various social malaise and bridging the gap or disparity in the society through various initiatives on education, healthcare, livelihood and capacity building since last two decade.
A lawyer by profession with specialisation in economic laws. He practises in Delhi High Court and Supreme Court of India.
A Masters in Business & Economics (MBE) from Delhi University. He advises leading corporate houses in India on various strategic issues.
A fellow member of ICSI (Institute of Company Secretaries of India). He specialises in company secretarial services, corporate laws, business re-structuring, merger & amalgamation, merchant banking and legal matters. He was the President of ICSI.
A Doctorate in Social Sciences with specialization in HR and Women Issues, has been working with HR dept. of Unicorp and subsequently worked as a HR consultant to Ingramico, Icons & V5 Global. Interested in writing, she has authored the book "Women and Education in Rajasthan."
Smile Foundation believes that education is both the means as well as the end to a better life: the means because it empowers an individual to earn his/her livelihood and the end because it increases one's awareness on a range of issues - from healthcare to appropriate social behaviour to understanding one's rights - and in the process help him/her evolve as a better citizen. Education is the most effective tool which helps children build a strong foundation; enabling them to free themselves from the vicious cycle of ignorance, poverty and disease.
Smile Foundation realised that Education for Children cannot be achieved without the family, particularly, unless the mother is assured of health care and empowered. Moreover, when an elder sibling is educated and relevantly skilled to be employable and begins earning, the journey of empowerment continues beyond the present generation.
Smile Foundation extended its thematic areas of intervention by supporting family health, livelihood, and women empowerment. Children, their families and the community become the target group for Smile Foundation's activities as child education cannot be done in isolation and nothing else but education for children can bring long lasting change in the society.
Social Venture Philanthropy (SVP) is an innovative model based on the business concept of venture capital. Under SVP, Smile Foundation not only identifies & implements its develpment projects through credible CBO's (Community Based Organisations) but also, handholds and builds capacities of these organisations, focusing on achieving scalability and sustainability, creating a culture of leadership and excellence and inculcating a deep sense of accountability among them.
Social Venture Philanthropy (SVP) is an innovative model based on the business concept of venture capital. Under SVP, Smile While working in the remote rural areas, Smile Foundation realized that many a times capacities of community based organisations (CBOs) were not adequate to meet the high expectations of large corporate social investors. Under Outreach model, Smile Foundation implements the development interventions directly as it requires intensive and professional engagement for a wider and sustained outcome.
Smile Foundation gets a first-hand experience in the nuances of development at the grassroots through its Outreach model and then implements the learning in its SVP Projects through its SVP Partners.
Recognition for rendering valuable services under Social Responsibility by ICSI
NGO Leadership & Excellence Award 2015 by ABP News
Best NGO (Skill Development) for 2014-15 by ASSOCHAM
ICAI CSR Award for the Best CSR Project in Women Empowerment
Global CSR Excellence & Leadership Award 2014 by ABP News
Education Excellence Award 2013 by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industries (ASSOCHAM)
Corporate Excellence Award for NGO Excellence 2013 by IPE (Institute of Public Enterprise)
Quality Initiative Mission Award 2013
Smile Foundation is an organisation in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of United Nations since 2012
Healthcare Leadership Award 2012
Represents India as nominated member of Together4Change Alliance
GE Healthcare - Modern Medicare Excellence Award
Asia-pacific Child Rights Awards
NTR Memorial Trust Award
Barclays Bank Chairman's Awards
I Am Kalam - 23 National and International Awards at 40 prestigious film festivals (Click here for details )
Smile Foundation's now accredited with GlobalGiving, one of the largest global crowd funding platforms.
Smile Foundation has been accredited as a Guidestar India Platinum validated charity
An Implementation Agency under CSR IA Hub of the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) under aegis of Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Govt. of India
Smile Foundation has been accredited as a Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) America validated charity since 2014
Organization in Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) since 2012
Empanelled with National CSR Hub at TISS, an initiative under Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises
Accreditation with India Development Foundation of Overseas Indians, under the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, Govt. of India
Accredited as Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) India validated charity since 2012
Accredited as IRD-registered non-profit organisation with Guide Star
Listed as a member organisation with United Way Worldwide