The/Nudge gets USD 250,000 grant from Rockefeller Foundation to scale its Skill India mission

The/Nudge announced its plans to build organisational capacity to reach other states outside of Karnataka and expand their livelihood program. The expansion in India is supported by a USD 250,000 grant from The Rockefeller Foundation to The/Nudge Project by End Poverty and will be used for capacity building across admissions, program delivery, product research and tech-driven data management systems. New York-based The Rockefeller Foundation is one of the largest foundations in the United States, and one of the oldest names in global development philanthropy.

Speaking about the support, Ashvin Dayal, Associate Vice-President and Managing Director, Asia, Rockefeller Foundation said, “The Rockefeller Foundation has always been committed to helping people uplift their lives through economic opportunities, and we believe this can be done through systemic change. Intervention by The/Nudge Project of End Poverty attacks the root causes of unemployability among India’s youth and the team has an impressive track record in equipping and supporting the underprivileged youth in hard as well as soft skills that allow them to thrive. With this grant, we are confident End Poverty through The/Nudge Project can make a tangible impact that shapes a better and brighter future for many deserving Indian youth. “

Since 2015, The/Nudge’s Gurukuls have been helping underprivileged youth through rigorous fully-residential program aimed at job and life-readiness. Over the next year, the organisation plans to expand to more states to bring deserving students and train them at the existing Gurukuls. The aim is to scale to 5000+ students annually and provide gainful employment. The nonprofit also intends to launch 2 more livelihoods in the coming year and implement data systems and processes that provide robust, comprehensive and consistent learning tools for students and trainers.

Commenting on this new collaboration, Atul Satija, Founder of The/Nudge said, “From the work we have done over the past 2 years, we have seen that our model works. It is now time to bring more youth into mainstream career paths by working on their skill gaps. We are very excited to have received The Rockefeller Foundation’s trust and support for our work. We are looking forward to expanding our reach to other states, providing more livelihood choices and empowering more youth across the country in the coming months.”

The/Nudge’s Gurukul students are offered specializations across 4 livelihoods at present (driving, beauty, plumbing and data entry), with placements at the end of the program. The organisation has achieved 100% job placements for all its graduates to date. While ~60% of students had been unemployed at the time of enrolling into the program, the ones previously employed have seen an average increase of almost 40% in wages.