Donation Policy

1. Current status

The Foundation is under registration and does not accept any donation at this time. Please do not send money, and beware of anyone asking for donations in our name. We will announce official donation channels on this website when they are ready.

2. Who may donate

Once donations open, we intend to accept donations from individuals and organisations who are legally permitted to donate in India. Donors must be at least 18 years old or have the consent of a parent or guardian.

We cannot accept foreign contributions, including from foreign citizens, foreign companies, foreign trusts or organisations with foreign sources, because the Foundation is not registered under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010.

3. Voluntary and without consideration

Donations are voluntary. They must not be made in exchange for goods, services, influence, preferential treatment or any other benefit. We do not promise any return, and a donation does not create a consumer, investment or contractual relationship.

4. Accepted methods

• Only payment methods published on our official website will be valid.
• Payments will be processed through RBI-authorised payment gateways or directly into the Foundation’s official bank account, once opened.
• We will not ask for donations through personal bank accounts, UPI IDs, wallets, cash, social media messages or phone calls.
• Do not share card details, UPI PINs, passwords or one-time passwords with anyone claiming to represent us.

5. Use of funds

Donations will be used for the Foundation’s stated charitable purposes, including academic mentorship and research support, cultural preservation and publishing, technology and digital-skills programmes, business and entrepreneurship guidance, community drives, and reasonable running and administrative costs.

We will spend funds responsibly, keep proper accounts and report on their use. We will not use donations for unlawful purposes, political contributions, private benefit or any purpose inconsistent with our mission.

6. Restricted and unrestricted gifts

Unrestricted donations may be used wherever the need is greatest. If a donor requests that a gift be used for a specific programme, we will treat it as a restricted gift and use it for that purpose, provided the restriction is lawful, practical and consistent with our mission. If a restriction cannot be met, we will discuss an alternative with the donor before accepting the gift.

7. Receipts and tax benefits

We will issue a receipt for every donation once donations open. To claim tax benefits, donors may need to provide a PAN and other details required by law.

Tax benefits under sections 12A and 80G of the Income Tax Act, 1961 are available only after the Foundation receives the relevant approvals. Until then, we will not claim or promise any tax benefit. We will publish approval details on our Transparency page when issued.

8. Foreign contributions

The Foundation is not registered under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010. We cannot accept foreign contributions, foreign hospitality or any transfer from a foreign source that is prohibited by FCRA. If a payment appears to be a foreign contribution, we may return it.

9. Declined or returned gifts

We may decline or return a donation if it is unlawful, comes from an unverifiable source, is tied to conditions that conflict with our mission, could damage our independence or reputation, or appears to be the proceeds of crime. We will act in good faith and comply with applicable law.

10. Donor privacy

We collect and use donor data only to process donations, issue receipts, meet legal obligations, communicate about the donation and report in aggregate. We do not sell donor data. For details, see our Privacy Policy.

Donors who wish to remain anonymous may ask us before donating. We will accommodate reasonable requests where the law allows, while still keeping the records required for audit and tax purposes.

11. Related-party disclosure

The Foundation is a shareholder of Arkynox, which maintains the Sangathya journal platform. Any transaction with Arkynox will be on fair terms, approved under our conflict-of-interest process and disclosed in our financial reporting.

12. Reporting and accountability

We will publish an annual summary of income and expenditure, audited accounts when required and information about major programmes. Our Financial Transparency & Governance Policy explains our controls, audit and reporting commitments.

13. Contact

For donation questions, contact contact@sangathya.org. Our Grievance Officer is yet to be appointed. Postal address: Registered address will be published once registration is complete.