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When Megha Desai and her family started the Desai Foundation in Gujarat, India, in 1997, they aimed to help marginalized communities.
Today, the foundation is a "philanthropist giant" with programs in nine states, helping more than 500 women and girls per year, Desai tells Fast Company.
But it wasn't always that way. "During those first 15 years, we really wanted to focus on the programs and get them right," she says.
"So we kept our heads down, kept experimenting, and working with the communities we serve to get the program to a place where they would really show results.
Once we realized we had 15 solid programs (we now actually have 30 programs), we sorted out which ones were designed to scale, and which ones were not."
The transition from a family foundation to a public one was "the smartest thing we could have done," she says. "We also knew that we didn't have all the answers. As a public organization, we can work with fantastic NGOs, corporates, and people that bring their experience and knowledge to the table. I think we were a bit naive on this transition being easy."
Selected Grant News Headlines
A customized collection of grant news from foundations and the federal government from around the Web.
If you're an electric car driver in the UK, you're in for a treat: A team of students from the University of Bristol and a company called Roadchef have come up with ideas for a "service station of...more
If you're an electric car driver in the UK, you're in for a treat: A team of students from the University of Bristol and a company called Roadchef have come up with ideas for a "service station of...more
If you've got a kid who's into entrepreneurship, you may want to consider raising him or her in an " entrepreneurial household." That's according to Aaron Ramon Miller, who owns a contracting...more
An Arizona military base has opened a $1 million innovation lab where kids can learn about 3D printing, virtual reality, and more, the Arizona Republic reports. "It's important that we allow our...more
A new report from the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child calls for a "significant shift in the way we conceive, and evaluate policies and programs" in order to "increase the effects...more
The demand for high-quality, cost-effective outpatient imaging services is greater than ever and will continue to grow, Nilesh Rajadhyax says. The Atlanta-based MedQuest Associates, which...more
The San Francisco Bay Area is home to some of the world's most cutting-edge tech companies, and the Innovation Tri-Valley Leadership Group is throwing its annual GameChanger Awards on Thursday,...more
Time has released its first annual list of the 100 most influential individuals in global health, and one of the names making the list is a familiar one: Dr. Peter Hotez. He's the co-director of...more
If you're an 8-year-old girl, chances are you've heard of the Kardashians. If you're an 8-year-old girl, chances are you've also heard of First Stop News, an online news channel specifically...more
Parents in Shawnee County, Kansas, may soon have more child care options to choose from. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports a three-million-dollar innovation grant from the Greater Topeka...more
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Spotlight
Influencing Social Good Through Retail
When Hannah Davis traveled to China to teach English, she noticed how Chinese workers and farmers were often sporting olive green army-style shoes. Those shoes served as her inspiration to create her own social enterprise, Bangs Shoes.
