About
Pratham USA is a Houston-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that raises funds and awareness in the United States for Pratham, one of the largest education organizations working in India. Pratham was established in 1994-95 in Mumbai by Dr. Madhav Chavan and Farida Lambay, who began by creating community preschools called Balwadis in the city's slum communities; Pratham USA was founded in 1998 in Houston and New York City to support that work. The organization holds Platinum ratings from Charity Navigator and GuideStar.
Mission
Pratham is dedicated to making schools and communities future-ready by ensuring that every child, youth, and woman has access to education and the opportunity to succeed in a changing world. Pratham USA's core belief is that learning has the power to transform everything, regardless of where a person is born.
What they do
Pratham USA supports Pratham's program areas in India and beyond:
- Children & Learning — foundational literacy and numeracy programs for children.
- Youth & Skilling — vocational training that has equipped tens of thousands of young people with marketable skills.
- Girls & Women Empowerment — including the Second Chance program, through which roughly 20,000 girls and women completed grade 10 certification.
- Mohalla (community) Libraries — neighborhood libraries set up in streets, parks, and rooftops, each holding a curated set of 50-60 books for grades 1-8, with regular storytelling sessions run by local volunteers including mothers, family members, and young people.
- Digital initiatives that extend learning beyond the classroom.
History
Pratham began with Balwadi preschools in Mumbai in the mid-1990s and grew into a national education movement. In 2005, Pratham helped free more than 17,000 children from child labor in Mumbai's Zari industry. In the 2015-16 Lakhon Mein Ek literacy campaign, Pratham reached approximately 10 million children with the help of 375,000 volunteers. Pratham USA, founded in 1998, channels US-based philanthropy to this work and has sister organizations in Australia, Sweden, and the UK.
Scale and impact
Figures published by Pratham USA for the 2025-26 academic year:
- Nearly 7.56 million children engaged through educational initiatives.
- About 84,000 youth equipped with marketable skills.
- Roughly 20,000 girls and women completed grade 10 certification via Second Chance programming.
- Programs active in about 20,000 communities across 24 Indian states and union territories, with collaborative programs in more than 30 countries.
Financials
According to ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer (IRS filings), Pratham USA (EIN 76-0620808) reported total revenue of $24,619,120, total expenses of $23,301,258, and total assets of $31,343,778 for fiscal year 2024. The IRS issued its 501(c)(3) tax exemption in September 2004.
Governance
Pratham USA is headquartered at 9703 Richmond Avenue, Suite 102, Houston, TX, and operates through volunteer-driven chapters in cities across the United States.