The Foundation
An overview of who we are, what we do, and where we work.
Dear Stakeholder,
If you're reading this, you already know us, or you're about to. Either way, thank you for the few minutes you're giving to a document that tries to explain what STARK Foundation actually does on the ground.
Being part of a non-profit is harder than it looks. From being answerable to many people you interact with (often about what's in it for them), to occasional self-doubt about whether we're really adding any value. The pages that follow are our attempt to answer that question, with examples instead of slogans.
When it comes to adding value, there's no shortage of schemes or organisations claiming to help the underprivileged. But the gap between what's promised and what actually reaches the ground is wide. The reason we started STARK was to shrink that gap. If a credible organisation, public or private, is already solving the problem we see, our first move is to connect the beneficiary to them. Only when nothing exists do we allocate our own time and money.
On the operational side, the team has matured. What started as a few volunteers is now a small full-time team across two centres in Bikaner and Pundalsar. From running batches and college MOUs to facilitating placements and onboarding CSR partners, the foundation isn't just surviving on enthusiasm anymore. It's being run as an institution.
Some of what follows will, we hope, bring a smile. None of it would have been possible without people like you, who showed up with moral, operational, or financial support, and stayed.
Thank you for everything. Upwards & onwards. 🙂
Yours,
Pradhyumn Singh
Treasurer · STARK Foundation
Contents
- 01.Skill Development Center
- 02.Bachpan — Children
- 03.Higher-Ed Partnerships
- 04.C.S.R. Projects
- 05.Disaster Relief
- 06.Digital Pahel
- 07.Targets Ahead
- 08.Compliance & Transparency
SKILL DEVELOPMENT
CENTER
STARK Foundation's flagship program is the vocational training centre, run in collaboration with certified institutes and under the guidance of highly reputed faculties in Bikaner.
The courses offered are free of costfor the selected candidates, along with complete placement support or in-house opportunities (for the ‘Clothing & Designing’ vertical).
The admission process involves rigorous screening & background verification, followed by an in-person interview. We have two operational centres — Bikaner (since June 2021) and Pundalsar (since February 2025) — covering both urban and rural Rajasthan.
Skill partners: Tally Education · Singer India.
‘Computer & I.T.’ vertical
Each batch starts with a core competency (Typing or Tally), then builds adjacent skill sets — MS applications, web browsing, applying for jobs online. Soft-skill prep is woven in: resume building, mock interviews, communication fundamentals. Where vacancies open up in the local market, we connect students directly.
‘Clothing & Designing’ vertical
Two-tier program: a 3-month certificate course and a 6-month diploma. Beyond training, the centre operates as a small workshop — students take work orders, mentor newer students, and learn the working dynamics of supplying to local vendors and clothing brands.
BACHPAN
Bachpanis our work with children in government schools and slum areas around Bikaner. The format is intentionally flexible — summer learning camps in govt schools, weekend workshops, study-kit drives, distribution drives, Children's Day events.
The flagship initiative under this banner is Adhigam — a summer learning camp launched in 2023 across 4 government schools, now running an expanded second edition.
The thesis: kids in govt schools often don't need a replacement system; they need an extra month of structured exposure with people who've done what they want to do. Adhigam pairs school timetables with mentorship and creative workshops.
On record
Children's Day 2021: 150 kids from 5 slum areas, sports events, education kits, frocks stitched by women in our stitching program. Distribution drives at MP Colony Govt School (books and learning material). Stationery distribution at Gharsisar area schools.
HIGHER-ED
PARTNERSHIPS
We partner with colleges to revive under-used facilities and run free, future-facing courses. Two case studies show the model:
In February 2024 we partnered with the college administration to revive their computer lab, dormant for 10 years. We transferred computers from our Bikaner centre and launched Computer-based Skill Development and Stitching & Fashion Designing programs. ~210 students trained across multiple batches at zero fees to students.
A new partnership with the EICE Department under HOD Ms. Pooja Bhardwaj. Phase 1 introductory session covered AI in industry, the shift from chatbots to autonomous agents, hallucination risks, and tools like Claude Code and Copilot. VLSI segment covered hardware design tools and how AI is starting to influence hardware design. A hands-on Phase 2 project in collaboration with the Foundation has been announced.
C.S.R. PROJECTS
Our embarkment into the world of corporate partnerships began with a pilot project with Bikaner Electricity Supply Limited (Bk.E.S.L), itself a result of contributions made during the second wave of COVID.
After the pilot, the leadership team at Bk.E.S.L. entrusted us with five more projects across health, eye-care and school infrastructure. The continued momentum echoes a quote from C.S. Lewis: “if you do one good deed, your reward usually is to be set to do another and harder and better one.”
For every project, we follow a systematic approach: identify the right area and beneficiaries via on-ground surveys and conversations with local authorities, generate a brief, plan in detail, then execute. The core themes have been accessible healthcare, sanitation, and infrastructure support for schools.
C.S.R. PROJECTS
Health camp was followed up with post-diagnostic consultations and medicine distributions.
DISASTER RELIEF
When the pandemic hit. Our disaster-relief muscle was forged through the COVID response in Bikaner — six weeks, ₹6.58 lakh in spend, around 1,500 families served.
We delivered 6,000+ meal boxes to COVID patients at their doorstep, 4,000+ ration kits to families whose livelihood was impacted, free home RT-PCR sample collection for residents aged 60+ in coordination with the Central Medical Health Office, and rent-free oxygen concentrators for discharged patients managing recovery at home.
STARK Foundation continues to maintain disaster-response readiness. If a future emergency arises, the same playbook gets activated.
DIGITAL PAHEL
Digital Pahel(pahel = ‘initiative’ in Hindi) is our in-kind donation campaign — we collect laptops, desktops, tablets, smartphones, cameras, and sewing machines, refurbish them, and deploy them directly to students at our centres, partner colleges, and government schools we work with.
None of the items donated will be sold. Every device is tested, cleaned, repaired if needed, and configured for our centre or a partner school. Sewing machines are serviced before deployment. We share back, with the donor, where each item ended up.
The campaign accepts donations from Bikaner and across India — donors from Delhi, Mumbai and Jaipur have participated in the past.
What we accept
- · Laptops (working or repairable)
- · Desktops & monitors
- · Tablets · iPads
- · Android smartphones
- · Cameras · webcams
- · Sewing machines (Singer / Usha)
TARGETS AHEAD
Coverage in rural Rajasthan. Increase the reach of our skill development programs through mobile setups in remote tehsils around Bikaner and Dungargarh. Strike a tighter balance between training supply and market demand.
Higher-ed partnerships at scale. Build on the Maharani and ECB engagements with one new college tie-up per academic year, focused on reviving under-used computer labs.
Niche product training. Train students in niche product lines (uniforms, lifestyle accessories), set up Self-Help Groups, and guide them to sell on e-commerce platforms.
Project-based learning.Integrate soft-skill training more deeply into the ‘Computer & I.T.’ vertical. Add project-based learning (in-house or external) for technical growth.
Funding mix. Gradually shift from individual contributors to government-sponsored schemes and more CSR partners. The infrastructure work with Bk.E.S.L. is the template.
Off-school coaching pilot. Launch supplementary education through mentorship and off-school coaching at selected govt schools.
COMPLIANCE &
TRANSPARENCY
S.T.A.R.K. (Stratifying and Advancing Rural Knowledge) Foundation is a Section 8 registered firm and, under M.C.A. guidelines, we go through annual auditing and I.T.R. filing.
We hold 12A and 80G approvals, so monetary contributions qualify for income tax exemption. A certificate is issued to every contributor.
We are M.C.A.-compliant for C.S.R. activities and registered on portals such as Benevity and Razorpay for fundraising campaigns.
Active profiles maintained on government-regulated portals including NGO Darpan and Gyan Sankalp.
Flow of funds. 100% of donations come through online transfers (Razorpay subscriptions, direct bank transfer). ~98% of expenses are paid digitally.
Real-time ledger. Every employee records their expenses on a shared internal ledger as incurred. Records are validated and approved by one of our directors on a monthly basis.
Stakeholder access. Any stakeholder can be added on request to inspect monthly expense records. We share the full P&L breakup with active CSR partners and significant donors as part of standard reporting.
Funding Mix (historical)
Indicative breakdown
- CSR Partners66%
- Directors16%
- Other contributors18%
Expenditure Mix (historical)
Indicative breakdown
- CSR Projects60%
- Employee Salaries16%
- Trainer Cost11%
- Capital Expenditure4%
- Other Operating3%
- Other Activities3%
- Rent & Utilities2%
- Auditing & Compliance1%
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