Rural India Supporting Trust (RIST) and the American India Foundation (AIF) Announce a $7.6M Partnership on India's 74th Republic Day

NEW YORK, Jan. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On the meaningful occasion of India's 74th Republic Day, NY-based RIST and AIF have renewed their commitment to India's nation building by announcing a $7.6 million (INR 60 crores) investment on girls' education, maternal and newborn health, and strengthening the bridge between the civil societies of these two largest democracies in the world.

A major supporter of AIF for over a decade, in 2022, RIST expanded their investment in AIF's multi-award award winning Maternal and Newborn Survival Initiative (MANSI) with a $3M grant to reduce neonatal and infant mortality by 25% and 20% respectively, across 6 blocks in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand over 5 years. On this Republic Day, RIST announced a deepened and expanded commitment to AIF through a $1.6M investment in its Digital Equalizer (DE) program for school children and a $3M grant in support of the Banyan Impact Fellowship (BIF) program to nurture the next generation of social impact leaders.

This new grant for AIF's award-winning DE program will help train 120 government school teachers on DE-designed techno-pedagogy and expose over 12,000 students–especially girls–to STEM-based learning. It will also provide technology and STEM infrastructure in 40 schools in Uttarakhand, amplifying the impact of their investments in the state.

The grant for BIF ensures sustainability for the program in collaboration with the $5 million grant from the Krishnan Shah Family Foundation (KSFF). Together, these two investments will enable 300 young professionals the opportunity to contribute to sustainable development and civil society strengthening in India and the U.S., creating future social impact leaders in the US-India corridor.

"Since inception in 2007, RIST has been dedicated to supporting organizations like AIF that create solutions to social inequity and poverty by designing bold solutions to complex problems for communities that need it the most. Through this multi-pronged and expanded investment in AIF's programs, RIST can generate sustainable positive impact for thousands and catalyze transformation at the systemic level to leverage this change, over time, at scale. We are excited to deepen this partnership and amplify our impact across the communities we serve," said Shweta Rawat, Managing Director of RIST.

Nishant Pandey, Chief Executive Officer, American India Foundation said, "There are no words for how grateful we are for RIST's continued partnership. These generous, multi-year grants and project scale-ups are a testament to the trust and collaboration that comes with our partnership, the dedication of our implementing team on the ground, and the impact that the two organizations make together. Since our partnership began, RIST has pushed us to be better, think bigger, and has supported us all along the way. We are thrilled for this next phase of work and the lives we'll be improving together."

About American India Foundation (AIF)

Founded in 2001 at the initiative of President Bill Clinton following a request from Prime Minister Vajpayee, AIF is committed to catalyzing social and economic change in India and building a lasting bridge between the United States and India through high-impact interventions in education, livelihoods, public health, and leadership development, with a particular emphasis on empowering girls and women to achieve gender equity. Working closely with local communities, AIF partners with NGOs to develop and test innovative solutions and with governments to create and scale sustainable impact. Driven by values of transparency, secularism, and non-partisanship, AIF remains staunchly dedicated to executing initiatives to further equity, inclusion, and opportunity for marginalized communities in India. To date, AIF has impacted 13 million lives across 35 states and union territories in India.

About Rural India Supporting Trust (RIST)

Rural India Supporting Trust (RIST) was established in 2007 by two families with concerns about the well-being of communities in India. Our roots in India have shaped our vision, efforts, and mission. In order to address these matters, RIST awards grants to organizations that work on solutions to societal inequities and poverty. At our core, we focus on Health, Education, Disability, Environment, and Emergency Response.

Since 2015, we've implemented more than 120 projects across 19 states in India. With The Hans Foundation as a main implementing partner, RIST activities have benefited over 300,000 people.

Our mantra is: "To bring about positive change, we must pay attention to the story of every person".

For queries on the RIST-AIF partnership, please contact Jeanine Racioppo, Development Director, East Coast at  jeanine.racioppo@aif.org, or Kalpana Kanthan, Chief Development Officer, at Kalpana.Kanthan@aif.org. For inquiries in India, please contact Shreya Ralli, Director of Communications, at shreya.ralli@aif.org.

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SOURCE American India Foundation (AIF)