A Vision Rooted in Empowerment

The journey of S M Sehgal Foundation began with a bold and compassionate vision: Every person across rural India deserves to lead a more secure, prosperous, and dignified life. Founded in 1999 by Dr. Surinder (Suri) M. Sehgal and his wife Edda, the foundation emerged from their desire and deep commitment to address the longstanding challenges that have kept millions of India’s farmers in poverty.  

S M Sehgal Foundation teams in every project location embrace a values-driven approach, upholding integrity, transparency, community participation, excellence, and sustainability in all its work to tackle longstanding barriers to water security, food security, and income security. The foundation’s guiding principles ensure that every initiative contributes not just to short-term gains, but to long-lasting transformation across rural India.

Grounded in its mission to strengthen community-led development initiatives, 

A Legacy of Listening, Learning, and Lasting Change

Dr. Sehgal’s background as a globally respected plant geneticist and business entrepreneur gave him unique insight into the challenges and possibilities of agricultural progress. He recognized that smallholder farmers in India continued to face persistent barriers—erratic water supplies, low productivity, lack of access to technological advancements, and limited market access. Rural families were often entrenched in poverty with limited educational access for their children due to poor infrastructure conditions in most government schools. To bridge these gaps, the Sehgals chose not merely to fund projects, but to build enduring institutions that empowered rural communities to lead their own development.

The Sehgals established two philanthropic foundations to confront these issues and make a positive difference in rural India: Sehgal Foundation in the United States and S M Sehgal Foundation (SMSF) in India. While legally distinct, both are united in purpose and collaborate to promote sustainable rural development in India.

5.92 million people reached  3,036 villages served  13 states impacted

These figures are not just statistics—they represent lives uplifted, futures secured, and communities renewed.

Transforming Rural Lives Through Integrated Development

Since its inception, SMSF has operated with one clear aim: to create sustainable change in rural India by building resilient, self-reliant communities. Programs and projects are created with local communities, reflecting an unwavering belief in the agency and wisdom of rural citizens. The core of all SMSF programming includes women’s empowerment and climate change awareness. This participatory approach, combined with scientific rigor and innovation, has led to a holistic model of integrated rural development.

Operating so far across thirteen states in India, the integrated program areas work to address multidimensional challenges that rural communities face:

• Agriculture Development

Rooted in the belief that smallholder farmers are the backbone of rural economies, the Agriculture Development program equips farmers, especially women farmers, with the knowledge and tools to improve yields and incomes. Practices such as soil health management, climate-smart agriculture, drip irrigation, and mechanization for small farms are promoted through field demonstrations and trainings.

Farmers also benefit from SMSF-promoted information and communication technologies (ICT) and trainings to access real-time agricultural advisories. By integrating technology and traditional knowledge, the foundation is increasing food security and income generation at the grassroots level.

2,022 Irrigation Through Solar Pump (acres)   2,022 Drip/Sprinkler

11,3054 Crop Demonstrations    12,750  Trained    22,695 Soil Testing

 

• Water Management

Water and agriculture are two sides of the same coin. Without water, there is no agriculture. Therefore the water management program addresses conservation of rainfall through implementation of check dams and farm pond (where applicable). In addition, water efficient technologies such as drip, sprinkler irrigation and laser leveling are introduced to the farmers. 

Lack of availability of water has a tremendous impact on women. To address the availability of water in the villages, the Water Management program addresses water scarcity with techniques such as creating rooftop rainwater harvesting structures, recharge wells, check dams, and silt traps. These result in recharging groundwater, enhancing water quality, and more resilient water infrastructures. 

Creation of rooftop rainwater harvesting systems in schools not only ensures safe drinking water, keeps more kids in school, and also serves as an educational tool to instill water stewardship in young minds. Making rural villages water-secure also improves overall village health and boosts agricultural productivity.

38 Community Tanks    138 Schools with safe drinking water   161 Check Dams

202 Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting in Schools    232 Ponds   4,201 Trained

 

• Transform Lives one school at a time

Education is the cornerstone of empowerment. The SMSF flagship program, Transform Lives one school at a time program upgrades school infrastructure to create a more secure and inspiring learning atmosphere, and ensure access to clean drinking water and separate sanitation facilities for boys and girls. The program provides digital literacy and life skills education to schoolchildren that, when combined with the digital libraries program, helps rural children and families bridge the urban/rural digital divide.

Since most children in rural India are enrolled in government schools where such basic facilities are not always available, the beginning of their empowerment, especially for girls, will only happen in a safe and supportive environment. The ripple effects span generations. Increased attendance, improved academic outcomes, and higher retention rates are just a few markers of the program’s deep impact by revitalizing 239+ rural schools, benefiting over 70,000 children since 2016. 

239 Schools Transformed    520 School Management Committees Trained

14,565 Digital & Life Skills Awareness     70,416 Students Benefited

• Local Participation and Sustainability

True development is owned by the people. SMSF promotes local citizen participation by supporting village-level institutions and facilitating access to government programs and services for their benefit. Through citizen awareness initiatives, capacity building, greater participation of all community members, especially women, and convergence with public programs and schemes, communities are empowered to take charge of their own development goals and agendas.

The outcome? Stronger village leadership, enhanced civic participation, and sustainable use of resources and services long after project completion.

1,375 Villages   48,458 Trained

93,739 Calls to the Citizen Information & Support Center 

• Outreach for Development

Rural voices often go unheard. The Outreach for Development program ensures they are amplified through a dynamic mix of media including the foundation’s Community Radio Connect FM 107.8 which provides a range of information and entertainment content, as well as social media and visual and print formats to educate, inspire, and connect rural communities.

By merging local storytelling with modern communication channels, SMSF fosters awareness, dialogue, and advocacy—ensuring that rural narratives influence broader developmental discourse.

• Rural Research and Technology Innovation

Genuine movement toward rural development is evidenced by SMSF’s research and innovation using participatory research, baseline assessments, and impact evaluations to fine-tune strategies, measure outcomes, to scale what works.

By integrating research into every stage of program design and implementation, SMSF ensures that its solutions are not only relevant and replicable but also resilient and future-ready.

A Partnership Model That Doubles the Impact

While SMSF implements programs on the ground, Sehgal Foundation (SF) in the U.S. mobilizes support through strategic partnerships, fundraising, and technical collaboration to maximize the efforts in India. Based in Des Moines, Iowa, the U.S. entity offers a seamless way for individuals, companies, and institutions to invest in India’s rural future.

With 1:1 matching grants—especially for school transformation projects, donors in the U.S. make a measurable impact. Each dollar donated is matched by Suri and Edda Sehgal, doubling the reach and depth of every contribution.

Built to Last: A Foundation of Values

The Sehgals’ lasting legacy lies in the foundation’s values-driven ethos. Rather than build dependency, SMSF fosters independence. Rather than impose solutions, partnerships with rural communities create solutions and cultivates dignity, opportunity, and long-term change.

By strengthening grassroots institutions, investing in local leaders, and ensuring programs are community-led and community-owned, the impact is not only wide but also deep and enduring.

Join the Mission

If you are moved by the vision of rural India where every individual can thrive, Sehgal Foundation invites you to be a part of the journey. Whether through financial support, partnership, or advocacy, your involvement will make a tangible difference.

To support or learn more, visit www.smsfoundation.org.

Together, we can create a future where rural communities are not just surviving, but flourishing—with hope, opportunity, and self-determination.

Important Links: 

• https://www.sehgalfoundation.org/

• https://www.sehgalfoundation.org/donation