Ambuja Foundation

Ambuja Foundation is the CSR arm of Ambuja Cements, working on rural development across India since 1993. Started with a water program in Kodinar, Gujarat, it has grown into one of India's largest corporate foundations, now active in 4,147 villages across 81 districts in 14 states and 2 union territories. The foundation works on the belief that community development is core to business sustainability, and focuses on building sustainable livelihoods for rural and tribal families.

Head Quaters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Major Areas of Work

• Livelihoods
• Sustainability
• Health
• Education
• Gender Justice
• WASH

Major Initiatives and Programs

• Water Security, covering drinking water access, rainwater harvesting for livelihoods, and water use efficiency in irrigation
• Agriculture, supporting sustainable and organic farming models, farmer producer organizations, and environment friendly practices
• Skill Development, including soft skills training, career guidance, job placement, and rural entrepreneurship, run through 55 skill training centres
• Health, covering maternal and child health, communicable and non communicable disease, curative primary care, and WASH
• Women's Empowerment, through self help groups, socio-economic strengthening, and building women led local institutions and federations
• Education, focused on school infrastructure, reading and physical education, and special education through Ambuja Manovikas Kendra
• Sakhi initiative in Maharashtra and Community Owned Enterprises (Collectives) that support rural producer groups

Impact Since the early 1990s, Ambuja Foundation has grown from working in 15 villages with a budget of ₹15 lakh to reaching over 6.73 million people, with an annual investment exceeding ₹372 crore. The foundation has trained 146,000 rural youth in skill programs with a 77 percent placement rate, supported 42,000 women through empowerment programs, and harvested 76.90 million cubic metres of water. An external assessment by CRISIL rated its overall performance 9.27 out of 10.

Leadership

• Chandrakant Kumbhani, Chief Executive Officer
• Ravi Nayse, Chief Operating Officer, Skill and Entrepreneurship Development
• Anagha Mahajani, Chief Impact Officer, Program Research and Monitoring
• Pearl Tiwari, Director, Ambuja Foundation

Partners Aramco, AU Small Finance Bank, Better Cotton Initiative, Cipla, District Mineral Foundation, Godrej, IDH, National Skill Development Corporation, National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation, Schneider Electric, Swasth Alliance and ACT Grants

Ambuja Foundation is certified as a Great Place to Work in India and has featured in the Top 10 Best NGOs to Work For in 2023 and 2024. It offers the scale of a large national organization, with over 1,700 staff members and a workforce that includes 500 volunteers, along with almost 10 percent of staff completing 11 or more years of service. The foundation also received recognition from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India for excellence in financial reporting.