Neonates Foundation of India

Neonates Foundation of India is a nonprofit working to prevent avoidable neonatal deaths among underprivileged families in India, where an estimated 1.8 million newborns do not survive each year despite up to 80 percent of neonatal deaths being preventable with timely care. NFI funds critical NICU care through a network of partner hospitals, focusing on rural and semi-urban areas where access to timely neonatal care is limited. Its work extends beyond hospital discharge, following up with families for up to two years to support the child's ongoing development and the family's emotional wellbeing. The organisation is largely volunteer driven, with a leadership team spanning clinical experts, program leads, and field coordinators.

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Headquaters: Bangalore, Karnataka, India (Operations across 10 states)

Major Areas of Work

• Financial Assistance: Funding subsidised, critical NICU care for underprivileged newborns.
• Hospital Partnerships: Building and maintaining a network of trusted NICUs across India, focused on rural and semi-urban areas.
• Beyond Medical Support: Supporting families through counselling, guidance, and hands-on care during and after a NICU stay.
• Post-Discharge Follow-Up: Tracking child development and family wellbeing for up to two years after discharge.

Major Initiatives & Programmes

• NICU Programme: The Foundation's core initiative, funding and coordinating critical newborn care through partner hospitals.
• BEN-I (Beyond the NICU / Beneficiary Interface Team): A dedicated team supporting beneficiary families with documentation, care coordination, and emotional support.
• Beneficiary Interface Management System (BIMS): Launched in 2025, a two-year development and emotional follow-up programme tracking high-risk newborns from vulnerable families after discharge.
• Children for NFI (CfNFI): A school-based awareness programme led by young changemakers to build empathy around newborn health.
• Beneficiary Review Panel (BRP): An independent panel of medical, nursing, finance, and community professionals reviewing beneficiary cases for fair, need-based selection.

Impact

NFI has supported 650 critically ill newborns through its partner hospital network to date, crossing its 600th baby saved milestone in July 2026. It works with 39 partner hospitals across 10 states, covering 1,186 accredited NICU beds, and is backed by more than 1,100 donors and supporters, including individuals, family foundations, corporates, hospitals, and other NGOs.

Team

• Priyam Bortamuli - Mission Steward
• Tanya Bali - Chief Catalyst
• Dr. Chethana H.S: Advisor, Quality & Medico-Legal
• Vijai K.M.Senior Executive, Program Development

Partners

Hospital network spans 39 institutions across Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan, alongside individual donors, family foundations, corporates, and allied NGOs.

NFI suits people motivated by direct, measurable health impact, since its model centres on funding and coordinating actual NICU care rather than research or policy work alone. It appeals to people interested in healthcare program management, donor and hospital partnership coordination, or beneficiary support roles, and to those drawn to a lean, largely volunteer powered organisation with a clear, single-cause focus on newborn survival.