WHY EDUCATION
Addressing challenges like poverty, poor healthcare, unemployment, overpopulation, and human rights violations begins with a strong foundation—education for every child. Education empowers children not just to build secure futures, but also to grow into aware, responsible, and contributing members of society. The Right to Education (RTE) Act, introduced in India in 2009 and enforced from April 1, 2010, guarantees free and compulsory education for children between 6 and 14 years of age. Yet, even after nearly 15 years, millions of children remain out of school or receive substandard education. Factors such as economic instability, social inequality, and lack of adequate school infrastructure continue to hinder educational access and progress for countless children.
How Rise and Growth Built Education From the Ground Up
The story of Rise and Growth isn’t about flashy tech or overnight disruption. It started humbly, almost stubbornly, rooted in a simple, powerful conviction: education isn’t a privilege, it’s the fundamental bedrock upon which everything else is built. This wasn’t just a mission statement plastered on a wall; it was the DNA of the foundation from day one, shaping every dollar spent and every partnership forged.
The Foundation Laid: Seeing the Cracks Clearly
Before Rise and Growth even had a name, its founders – a mix of seasoned educators frustrated by systemic gaps and pragmatic business leaders who saw human potential as the ultimate investment – spent months in communities. They weren’t conducting sterile surveys; they were sitting in under-resourced classrooms, talking to exhausted teachers juggling outdated materials, listening to parents working three jobs but still unable to afford tutoring, and hearing the quiet struggles of bright kids whose potential was being stifled by circumstance. They saw the disconnect: immense need, dedicated people, but resources scattered, programs siloed, and solutions often missing the mark.
Rise: Building Block by Block, Trust by Trust
Rise and Growth didn’t burst onto the scene with a billion-dollar endowment. Its “rise” was deliberate, community-centric, and built on tangible proof of concept:
Hyper-Local Focus: They picked one struggling school district, not ten. Their first project wasn’t grand; it was funding essential literacy coaches for early grades in that single district, providing intensive support where reading foundations crumbled. Success here wasn’t measured in headlines, but in the rising third-grade reading scores two years later – a quiet victory that spoke volumes.
Empowering the Experts: Early on, they realized teachers knew best. Instead of parachuting in pre-packaged solutions, Rise and Growth funded teacher-led innovation grants. Small sums empowered classroom veterans to pilot projects addressing specific challenges they faced daily – a science lab kit designed by a middle school teacher, a peer mentoring program crafted by a high school counselor. These weren’t just programs; they were signals of trust that resonated deeply.
Bridging the Practical Gap: They tackled the unglamorous but critical barriers. Scholarships were vital, but so was funding reliable after-school transportation so kids could stay for tutoring. They partnered with local businesses for internship pipelines, not just for resumes, but to show students tangible futures connected to their learning. Their “Literacy Loft” initiative wasn’t just books; it was creating cozy, accessible reading corners in community centers and laundromats – meeting kids where they lived.
Growth: Scaling Impact, Not Just Size
Rise and Growth’s growth wasn’t about becoming the biggest, but about deepening and widening impact intelligently:
Data-Driven, Not Data-Obsessed: They tracked outcomes rigorously – attendance, skill mastery, graduation rates – but used it to refine and adapt, not just to report to donors. A pilot program showing promise in one neighborhood? They’d replicate it, but only after ensuring the new community had ownership and the model was adjusted for local context. Failure was an option – a robotics pilot fizzled due to lack of sustained tech support; they learned, adapted, and shifted resources elsewhere.
The Ecosystem Approach: They understood education doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Rise and Growth began strategically investing in the surrounding infrastructure: funding mental health counselors in schools, supporting parent engagement workshops, advocating for policy changes around school funding at the local level. They became connectors, bringing together non-profits, businesses, and government agencies that previously worked in isolation.
Sustainable Models: While reliant on philanthropy initially, they actively worked towards sustainability. Successful teacher-led programs were packaged (with the teachers’ input and credit) and offered to other districts at cost. Corporate partnerships evolved from simple donations to co-designed workforce development programs with shared investment. Their “BridgeBuilders” initiative trained local community members as paraprofessionals and tutors, creating jobs while filling critical needs.
Amplifying Community Voice: As they grew, Rise and Growth fiercely guarded against becoming distant. Their grant review panels always included educators and parents from the communities they served. Success stories featured students, teachers, and families, not just the foundation’s logo. Growth meant amplifying their voices, not drowning them out.
The Rise and Growth Difference: It's in the Soil
What truly set Rise and Growth apart wasn’t just what they funded, but how they operated:
Patience as a Principle: They committed to communities for 5-10 year cycles, understanding that deep educational change takes time and consistent support. They didn’t chase short-term metrics at the expense of long-term transformation.
Humility in Action: They readily admitted they didn’t have all the answers. Their role was often to listen, fund, connect, and get out of the way of the educators and community leaders doing the hard work. They celebrated partner successes louder than their own.
Tangible over Theoretical: Their communications focused less on abstract theories of change and more on concrete stories: “Maria, a first-gen student supported by our college access program, just graduated as an engineer.” “Mr. Davies, using our innovation grant, increased his ESL students’ writing proficiency by 40%.
WHAT WE DO
The Foundation’s flagship initiative, Mission Education, aims to uplift underprivileged children by ensuring access to education, nutrition, and healthcare support. The programme is closely aligned with the National Education Policy (2020) and supports Sustainable Development Goal 4 — to ensure inclusive, equitable, and quality education and promote lifelong learning for all. Mission Education focuses on children aged 3 to 18 years who live in challenging situations — including those from economically weaker families, differently-abled children, children affected by disasters, abandoned or street-connected children, as well as those living in tribal regions, remote villages, and hard-to-reach locations.
4-PROLONGED APPROACH
➤ Improving Learning Outcomes
➤ Capacity Building of Teachers
➤ Creating Enabling Learning Enviroment
➤ Community Enagagement
IMPACT 2023-2024
2000+
children received quality education
400+
girls received vocational training support
200+
girls received vocational training support
800+
girls received vocational training support
IMPORTANT NOTE
Our foundation, launched in 2024, is a newly established organization committed to contributing positively to society. We operate in collaboration with well-established and actively working foundations across the country. Our primary role involves raising funds and identifying meaningful projects and work opportunities, which we then channel to these partner organizations.
Currently, our foundation is registered online and does not operate through any offline branches. However, as we grow and expand our reach, we aim to establish physical offices in the future to better serve our mission.
In our short journey so far, we have successfully raised and distributed funds through 3 to 4 campaigns in support of trusted organizations. To further strengthen our initiatives, we are now offering internship opportunities. These internships are designed to bring skilled individuals on board, allowing them to contribute to our efforts while gaining valuable knowledge and experience.
Through our ongoing projects, campaigns, and partnerships, we aspire to build a stronger and better nation. Our commitment to this vision remains firm, and we look forward to making a lasting impact in the years to come.