Vidyadhan

Vidyadhan is a higher education scholarship program by Shibulal Family Philanthropic Initiatives (SFPI) in 1999. The program enables meritorious students from economically underprivileged backgrounds to pursue higher education. Vidyadhan opened to external sponsorship in 2015 through its Each One Teach One initiative and till date has provided above 50,000 scholarships and covers 20 states. Vidyadhan aims to increase the Gross Enrollment Ratio in higher education by addressing the issues of affordability, awareness and access by providing financial support, training and mentoring to the students from grade 11 onwards until graduation. The additional weightage is given to students with disabilities, backward regions and single parent families. The program is built on a transparent technology platform and the program entails zero administrative costs for all sponsors, which are borne by the foundation. The program has a pay it forward model for beneficiaries who wish to sponsor future students once they become self-reliant. Our vision is to transform the lives of students from economically disadvantaged families by helping them through their education and providing necessary training. By doing so entire families come out of the poverty trap once these students get gainfully employed. Vidyadhan aspires to provide 1,00,000 scholarships across all the States/ UT’s of India by 2030. Our aim is to contribute towards increasing the Gross Enrollment Ratio in India, and promoting access to higher education. A study conducted by IIM-K found that almost 100% families are out of poverty, 1-2 years, with graduates earning three times the scholarship amount as their first year’s salary.