Nudge Institute Explained

Type:Foundation
Purpose:poverty alleviation, resilient livelihoods, economic empowerment
Headquarters:The/Nudge Institute, 15-19, NH 44, Dodda Nekkundi Extension, Marathahalli, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560037, India
Products:Incubator, Accelerator, Prize, Forum, Indian Administrative Fellowship, End Ultra Poverty, Asha Kiran, ReFarm
Leader Title:Managing Partner, CSI
Leader Name:Subhashree Dutta
Leader Title2:Managing Partner, CSI
Leader Name2:Akshay Soni
Leader Title3:Senior Director
Leader Name3:John Paul
Abbreviation:TNI
Named After:Nudge, by Richard Thaler
Founder:Atul Satija
Leader Title4:Chief Operating Officer
Leader Name4:Amit Gupta
Board Of Directors:Neelam Dhawan, B Muthuraman, Renu Karnad, Arun Seth, Atul Satija
Website:https://www.thenudge.org
The/Nudge Institute
Formation:September 23, 2015
Full Name:The/Nudge Institute
Location:Bengaluru, India

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]

History

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.

Programs

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

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. 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.
  2. Accelerator: Offers larger grants (up to INR 2 crores) and support to high-potential nonprofits addressing systemic livelihood issues.
  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

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

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

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]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Is it Possible to Make India Poverty-Free by 2047? . 2024-11-05 . The Wire . en.
  2. News: 2022-09-05 . Teach, train, empower – fighting poverty the nudge way . 2024-11-05 . The Times of India . 0971-8257.
  3. Web site: 2019-01-10 . NSDC partners with The/Nudge Foundation to jointly research, innovate, scale skill development initiatives across India . 2024-11-05 . India Today . en.
  4. Web site: The/Nudge Foundation launches Institute; to work closely with govt, markets, society . 2024-11-05 . Free Press Journal . en.
  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. Web site: This Duo Incubates Early-stage Non-profits. Their Goal: Bring 1 Crore Indians Out Of Poverty By 2025 . 2024-11-05 . Forbes India . en.
  7. Web site: 2021-03-19 . Citizens, government must work closer than ever to usher in measurable change on achievement of SDGs . 2024-11-05 . Zee Business.
  8. Web site: 2024-07-06 . Tech to fight poverty is now a reality: Atul Satija, Founder and CEO, The/Nudge Institute . 2024-11-05 . The Indian Express . en.
  9. Web site: Atul Satija Wants To Make Building Social Enterprises And NGOs "cool" . 2024-11-05 . Forbes India . en.
  10. News: 2022-12-12 . First batch of Indian Administrative Fellowship passes out after working in Karnataka . 2024-11-05 . The Economic Times . 0013-0389.
  11. News: 2024-08-25 . Workforce of 400 million women is what India needs to steer it towards becoming a $30 trillion economy by 2047 . 2024-11-05 . The Times of India . 0971-8257.
  12. Web site: 2023-02-23 . Ashirvad Water Challenge: Finalists focus on AI to solve India's water problems . 2024-11-05 . India Today . en.
  13. Web site: Bengaluru-based startup aces water challenge with AI-powered solution . 2024-11-05 . Deccan Herald . en.
  14. Web site: 2023-08-31 . Charcha ‘23 promises to create a thriving, tech-first livelihoods ecosystem - CNBC TV18 . 2024-11-05 . CNBCTV18 . en.
  15. Web site: 2024-08-24 . The/Nudge Institute's charcha 2024 Summit ignites collaborative action for a 'viksit & inclusive India @ 100" . 2024-11-05 . Business Today . en.
  16. Web site: Bhargava . Anjuli . 2022-07-05 . Jharkhand’s 'Didis': A Project to Help 1,200 'Ultra-Poor' Families Is Paying Off . 2024-11-05 . TheQuint . en.
  17. Web site: 2023-08-29 . The power of coming together to end extreme poverty in India - CNBC TV18 . 2024-11-05 . CNBCTV18 . en.
  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. Web site: Sharma . Nootan . 2022-11-22 . A persistent 'nudge’ is changing lives of Jharkhand’s ultra poor, one tribal family at a time . 2024-11-05 . ThePrint . en-US.
  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.

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