Home
Funding Areas
About Us
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.
'Safety, compassion, innovation': Beaufort Memorial honors top staff at Bemmy Awards.The Quality Services department took home the award for Department of the Year at BeaufortMemorial Hospital's...more
This ranking recognizes the leading children's hospitals in the U.S., featuring the top 50 hospitals.Cleveland Clinic Children's placed in all eight pediatric subspecialities: Cardiology and Cardiac...more
Mackinac Policy Conference left early childhood education off this year's agenda.By 2027, make Detroit a city that puts young children and families first, says James Ribbron, executive director of...more
Investing in tech to help children and communities thrive | Takeda Stories.How our Global CSR Program helped empower diverse entrepreneurs to innovate health solutions.29 Digital public goods...more
Greg Bourke is the author of "Gay, Catholic, and American: My Legal Battle for Marriage Equality and Inclusion" Bourke spoke at the Yale School of Management's Social Impact Lab.Bourke's final advice...more
Tesla plans to deploy a small fleet of robotaxis in Austin in the coming weeks.Tesla FSD 13.2.9 will still run a kid down while illegally blowing past a stopped school bus with red lights flashing...more
Awarded funding will support a wide range of activities between now and September 30, 2025.The FCCN initiative, supported by $85,000 in grant funding, will help build and sustain a Family Child Care...more
The Delivering Innovative Vocational Education through Virtual Reality Technology new workforce training program aimed at preparing individuals with disabilities for the program.DIVE-VRT delivers...more
Children are growing up surrounded by screens, apps, and smart devices.Being intentional about tech use goes a long way toward deepening interest in tech and creating meaningful experiences.Creating...more
Safeguarding innovation and trade secrets in American AI leadership Safeguarded innovation andtrade secrets in U.S.AI leadership.Testimony was given before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts,...more
Children News from...
Becton, Dickinson and Company
Johnson Foundation
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Social Entrepreneurship
Spotlight
When it Comes to Social Enterprises, Failure is the Best Platform for Innovation
In the world of social enterprises, failure is a cringe-worthy moment nobody wants to talk about. But, social entrepreneurs can benefit from their failures.
