Nudge Institute

(Redirected from Nudge Foundation)

The/Nudge Institute, formerly The/Nudge Foundation, is an Indian nonprofit organisation based in Bangalore, India, focused on poverty alleviation. Established in 2015, the organisation aims to create sustainable livelihoods for all.[1]

The/Nudge Institute
The/Nudge Institute
AbbreviationTNI
Named afterNudge, by Richard Thaler
FormationSeptember 23, 2015
FounderAtul Satija
TypeFoundation
Purposepoverty alleviation, resilient livelihoods, economic empowerment
HeadquartersThe/Nudge Institute, 15-19, NH 44, Dodda Nekkundi Extension, Marathahalli, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560037, India
Location
ProductsIncubator, Accelerator, Prize, Forum, Indian Administrative Fellowship, End Ultra Poverty, Asha Kiran, ReFarm
Managing Partner, CSI
Subhashree Dutta
Managing Partner, CSI
Akshay Soni
Senior Director
John Paul
Chief Operating Officer
Amit Gupta
Neelam Dhawan, B Muthuraman, Renu Karnad, Arun Seth, Atul Satija
Websitehttps://www.thenudge.org

History

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The/Nudge Institute was founded by Atul Satija on September 23, 2015, initially under the name The/Nudge Foundation.[2] The organisation began with the "Gurukul" program, a 90-day residential training initiative aimed at equipping underprivileged youth with life skills, learning skills, and job skills.[3]

Over time, the institute expanded to address a broader range of livelihood challenges. In 2022, it rebranded to The/Nudge Institute[4] to reflect its larger scope of work.[2]

Programs

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The/Nudge Institute aims to address the challenge of poverty, with a focus on two key pillars: Livelihood Programs focusing on direct intervention programs and Livelihood Ecosystem/ Centre for Social Innovation (CSI) for ecosystem-building work.[5]

Livelihood Ecosystem

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The/Nudge introduced NCore, an initiative for entrepreneurs with programs like the NCore Alpha, a startup bootcamp.[6] NCore’s mandate changed from bringing talent into the sector to building a thriving livelihood ecosystem.

NCore’s name was changed to Center for Social Innovation to reflect this switch along with the institute launch.[4] The Livelihood Ecosystem/ Centre for Social Innovation aims to nudge India's top talent into solving India's most pressing social challenges on a large scale.[7][8][9]

  1. Incubator: Provides early-stage nonprofits with grants and mentorship to help scale their impact. Under the program, social entrepreneurs are offered an INR 15 lakh grant and dedicated support to bring their vision to life.[6]
  2. Accelerator: Offers larger grants (up to INR 2 crores) and support to high-potential nonprofits addressing systemic livelihood issues.[6]
  3. Indian Administrative Fellowship (IAF): An 18-month fellowship that brings corporate leaders to collaborate with government officials in central ministries and state governments to drive large-scale, system-level changes.[10]
  4. Prize: Annual challenges designed to support tech-based solutions for underserved communities. It is supported by catalytic risk capital from various funders.[11][12][13]
  5. Forum: The/Nudge Institute also runs the Forum, a global think tank and a platform for collaborative efforts to unify India's livelihood ecosystem. Forum's flagship event is the premier livelihoods convening - charcha.[14][15]

Livelihood Programs

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These are direct intervention programs that aim to create sustainable income opportunities for underserved populations. Two programs under this category,[8][9]

Initiatives under CRD are,

  1. Economic Inclusion Program (EIP): Introduced in 2018, the EUP aims to uplift ultra-poor women-led households from extreme poverty through approaches like the ‘Graduation Approach’ and cash-plus-care models.[16][17] The program is currently active in six states: Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and West Bengal - with a combined population of 14 million ultra-poor households.[18] [19]
  2. Asha Kiran: It was initiated in 2020 as Asha Kiran - The Hope Project, to rebuild the lives of migrant workers and aid their recovery from the pandemic.[20] In 2021, the program pivoted towards building sustainable livelihoods for rural women, offering participants a supplementary source of income through backyard goatery and poultry farming.

Recognition and partnerships

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The/Nudge Institute collaborates with governments, philanthropists, corporations, and nonprofit organisations to implement its programs. The institute has been acknowledged by various organisations for its work in poverty alleviation and social innovation.[21]

References

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  1. ^ "Is it Possible to Make India Poverty-Free by 2047?". The Wire. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  2. ^ a b "Teach, train, empower – fighting poverty the nudge way". The Times of India. 2022-09-05. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  3. ^ "NSDC partners with The/Nudge Foundation to jointly research, innovate, scale skill development initiatives across India". India Today. 2019-01-10. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  4. ^ a b "The/Nudge Foundation launches Institute; to work closely with govt, markets, society". Free Press Journal. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  5. ^ J Vignesh, "Economic Times - How adopting to entrepreneurial approach has helped Atul Satija achieve scale and attract big investors", The Economic Times, May 05, 2017. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  6. ^ a b c "This Duo Incubates Early-stage Non-profits. Their Goal: Bring 1 Crore Indians Out Of Poverty By 2025". Forbes India. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  7. ^ "Citizens, government must work closer than ever to usher in measurable change on achievement of SDGs". Zee Business. 2021-03-19. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  8. ^ a b "Tech to fight poverty is now a reality: Atul Satija, Founder and CEO, The/Nudge Institute". The Indian Express. 2024-07-06. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  9. ^ a b "Atul Satija Wants To Make Building Social Enterprises And NGOs "cool"". Forbes India. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  10. ^ "First batch of Indian Administrative Fellowship passes out after working in Karnataka". The Economic Times. 2022-12-12. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  11. ^ "Workforce of 400 million women is what India needs to steer it towards becoming a $30 trillion economy by 2047". The Times of India. 2024-08-25. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  12. ^ "Ashirvad Water Challenge: Finalists focus on AI to solve India's water problems". India Today. 2023-02-23. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  13. ^ "Bengaluru-based startup aces water challenge with AI-powered solution". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  14. ^ "Charcha '23 promises to create a thriving, tech-first livelihoods ecosystem - CNBC TV18". CNBCTV18. 2023-08-31. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  15. ^ "The/Nudge Institute's charcha 2024 Summit ignites collaborative action for a 'viksit & inclusive India @ 100"". Business Today. 2024-08-24. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  16. ^ Bhargava, Anjuli (2022-07-05). "Jharkhand's 'Didis': A Project to Help 1,200 'Ultra-Poor' Families Is Paying Off". TheQuint. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  17. ^ "The power of coming together to end extreme poverty in India - CNBC TV18". CNBCTV18. 2023-08-29. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  18. ^ Parvathi Benu, "How graduation approach is helping women come out of ultra-poverty", The Hindu Business Line, June 07, 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  19. ^ Sharma, Nootan (2022-11-22). "A persistent 'nudge' is changing lives of Jharkhand's ultra poor, one tribal family at a time". ThePrint. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  20. ^ BW Online Bureau, "The/Nudge Announces Asha Kiran To Rebuild Rural Livelihoods For 5 Lakh Households Impacted By COVID", BusinessWorld, June 25, 2021. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  21. ^ Aakanksha Ahuja, "N/Core, It Firm Mphasis Invest ₹4.5 Crore To Fund And Mentor Non-Profit Startups", Mint, July 18, 2018. Retrieved 2023-08-09.