We identify poor families who want to educate their children but cannot afford it, partner with rural schools for sponsored seats, and make sure those children get them.
A simple, repeatable model to get children into schools efficiently and accountably.
Our field teams visit rural areas to identify families living in poverty whose children are out of school — not by choice, but because the costs are impossible to bear.
We approach local schools and negotiate sponsored seats. The school educates the child; we cover the cost from donations. We verify every school before partnering.
We match the child to the nearest partner school, guide the family through enrollment, and track progress until the child completes basic education.
Photography coming soon
Open Steps Foundation was born from a simple observation: India has schools. India has children who want to learn. But poverty creates a gap between the two that nobody was closing.
We exist to close that gap — not with grand infrastructure, but with direct sponsorship: connecting a donor's rupees to a specific child's seat in a specific school.
To ensure every child in rural India completes at least basic education, by connecting those who cannot afford it with schools willing to sponsor a seat.
We are obsessed with transparency. Here is why donors trust us.
Our founding members cover all operational costs. Every rupee you donate goes directly to a child's school seat, materials, or uniform — nothing else.
When you sponsor a child, you receive their name, school, and grade. We send you updates each term so you can follow their journey through school.
We visit every school before partnering. We check teaching quality, safety, and attendance records. A child will never be placed in a school we would not choose for our own.
All donations qualify for 80G income tax deduction. Your receipt is issued within 24 hours and can be used when filing your taxes.
Choose how you'd like to give — a one-time contribution or a recurring sponsorship that keeps a child in school year after year.
All donations eligible for 80G tax deduction · Receipt within 24 hours · Zero overhead
Sponsoring seats in existing schools is how we start. But our dream goes further — a chain of completely free schools across rural India, built and run by Open Steps Foundation.
No fees. No hidden costs. No reason for a family to say no. Every Open Steps school will be free from Class 1 through basic education — forever.
Each school will be placed in the most underserved areas — where government schools are overloaded, underfunded, or simply too far away to walk to.
Free does not mean second-rate. Our schools will employ trained teachers, provide proper materials, and meet the same standards as the best schools in any city.
Connecting poor children to existing partner schools through donations.
Opening our own school in the most underserved district we serve.
A network of free Open Steps schools reaching every rural district.
Every donation today brings this vision one step closer. You are not just sponsoring a seat — you are funding a future school.
Be part of this vision →