Lila Poonawalla Foundation

Lila Poonawalla Foundation

Lila Poonawalla Foundation (LPF) is a non-profit Public Charitable Trust in India, instituted in the year 1995 by Mrs. Lila Poonawalla (recipient of the Padma Shri award) and Mr. Firoz Poonawalla and headquartered in Pune, with regional offices in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Wardha, Amravati and Nagpur. LPF is a FCRA registered organization and certified by Credibility Alliance. LPF offers Merit-cum-Need based Scholarships and relevant Personal & Professional Skill Building programs, to carefully chosen academically bright but financially challenged girls. In its 30-years journey, LPF has helped transform the lives of over 17,000 girls and their families in no small measure, due to the sustained support of our partners and individual donors/ well-wishers. Over thousands of our girls are placed in renowned organizations all over the world. Some of them have given government exams and chosen to work in the government sector.

Key Activities & Programmes

1. School Project – '2morrow 2gether'

LPF launched the School Project '2morrow 2gether' in 2011 to support girls' education at an early stage. The project increases access to quality schooling for girls from disadvantaged families by providing scholarships from the age of 12, starting from 7th grade through to graduation, in non-aided and partially aided schools in both rural and urban areas of Pune. Out of 3,577 girls supported, 1,003 are from rural schools and 2,574 from urban schools.

2. Undergraduate (UG) & Skill Building Project

LPF offers undergraduate merit-cum-need based scholarships and skill building to girls pursuing Engineering, Engineering after Diploma, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Sciences in Pune, Wardha, Amravati, Nagpur, and Hyderabad. Skill building through holistic training and development programmes, exposure visits, internships, and placement support is provided by industry experts and corporate partners. To date, over 13,000 girls have been supported across these regions.

3. Postgraduate (PG) & Skill Building Project

LPF offers postgraduate merit-cum-need based scholarships and skill building to girls pursuing post-graduation in multiple streams within the Pune District, with a total of 1,685 girls awarded scholarships under this programme. Newly selected scholars undergo orientation, mentoring by industry leaders, and structured career support.

Since 1995, LPF has supported over 18,700 girls and young women, touched more than 82,000 lives, conducted over 4,000 skill building and training programmes, and disbursed scholarship funds totalling over ₹150 Crores. The placement rate for LPF scholars stands at 65–75% within the first year of course completion, and the foundation is supported by over 50 India and international funding partners and 610+ volunteers.

LPF's projects ensure that a minimum of 90–95% of scholars complete their education, with 65–70% securing gainful employment within one year of course completion.