Veddis Foundation: Investing in Organizations at the Intersection of Technology, Policy and Impact

We began our journey as Letz Dream Foundation with the objective of empowering organisations looking to solve societal challenges in India. Since inception, we have supported numerous ‘problem solvers’ working to improve outcomes for underserved communities. We have partnered with state governments to help them effectively implement and scale rural livelihood schemes.
In October, 2020 we announced an INR 100 crore commitment to accelerate irreversible, large-scale social impact. The first initiative under this commitment is the Social Impact Fund which will grant capital to organisations working at the intersection of technology, policy and impact… 


Veddis Foundation set out to become an exemplar in the ‘wholesale giving’ sector by supporting exceptional organisations running impactful large-scale projects. Initially, the primary activity of the Foundation was providing funding support to worthy non-profit organisations covering a wide variety of social causes. In 2014, we adopted a hands-on approach and began to work directly on implementation through our own field teams. We set out to create a ‘model gram panchayat’ in Ratakhurd, a village in the Alwar district of Rajasthan. The aim was to improve the quality of governance and frequency of civic participation, keeping in mind the larger goals of creating livelihood opportunities for the local population and improving their quality of life. We implemented a variety of different initiatives including improved agricultural practices, capacity building and skilling exercises, and healthcare and nutrition interventions. These activities proved effective in raising income levels and creating sustainable livelihoods.Additionally, we understood that there was a need to complement ‘wholesale giving’ in India with a culture of ‘retail giving’. Letz Dream Foundation incubated and supported the development of ‘Letz Change’, an innovative retail giving platform. Letz Change enabled non-profit organisations to present their work in a credible manner, get positive reviews from those who have seen their work, and tap into their social networks to raise funds. In 2018, Letz Change merged with Give India to become India’s largest and most trusted giving platform.

Veddis Foundation and its SRLM in Manipur

"Our learnings from Ratakhurd and Letz Change have deeply shaped our thinking and guided our core philosophies. We recognise the value of both government and technology as agents of scale. We believe that any efforts to reduce poverty require a multi-sector, multi-pronged approach that can address its many manifestations and root causes. We work with organisations operating across sectors such as education, healthcare and agriculture, and closely track multiple impact metrics in intervention areas."

Himachal Pradesh and the State Rural Livelihood Mission

Veddis’ partnership with Himachal Pradesh State Rural Livelihood Mission (HPSRLM) under its Governance for Policy Action Transformation and Innovation (GATI) initiative aims to maximize policy implementation through tech and data-driven governance.  The focus is on effective public service delivery along with more unlock & utilization of government funds.
Operational since Nov 2021 and in 5 districts of Himachal Pradesh, Veddis has established a governance Program Management Unit (PMU) at Shimla, to identify policy gaps and advocate for systems strengthening for efficient program delivery. The partnership is looking to augment strengthening community-based institutions under HPSRLM and improving the standard of living for 20,000 rural households.

Rajasthan and the State Rural Livelihood Mission

Himachal Pradesh State Rural Livelihood Mission

In 2016, the RGAVP, under the National Rural Livelihood Mission, had created more than 350,000 SHGs. However, it struggled with setting up Cluster Level Federations (CLFs). CLFs are the apex monitoring institutions under the NRLM. They oversee the management of SHGs and VOs, access to funds, members’ livelihood investments as well as convergence with other schemes.We partnered with the RGAVP in 2016 with the aim of establishing financially sustainable community institutions that would result in higher access to funds for communities. Working with 42 CLFs in 10 districts, the strategy was two-pronged –
  1. Improve public delivery systems through good governance.
  1. Establish CLF based livelihood models to improve financial sustainability.
In two years, average income increased by 55% across 160,000 households resulting in the World Bank being able to withdraw its financial support. The Rajasthan government further replicated this model across all its 33 districts.

Haryana State Rural Livelihood Mission

The Haryana State Rural Livelihood Mission (HSRLM) is an autonomous body set up under the Rural Development Department, Government of Haryana (GoH) to implement the National Rural Livelihood Mission in the state. The HSRLM is built around creating social and human capital for vulnerable communities, and aims to improve livelihoods by diversifying income-generating activities.We partnered with the HSRLM in November 2018 to improve governance in 31 Cluster Level Federations (CLFs) across 7 districts in the state. Our partnership is focused on strengthening these CLFs by making them efficient, participatory, effective, responsive, sustainable and financially independent. Additionally, we piloted livelihood interventions for member households under these CLFs.

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