Isha Outreach, the social welfare initiative of Isha Foundation, is involved in several path-breaking environmental, educational, health and community revitalization efforts in rural India. Isha Outreach is registered as a Public Charitable Trust under the Indian Registration Act (92/BK4/2009 Coimbatore, vide the Trust deed dt. 17.2.2009) with the objective of promoting and carrying out social outreach activities.

Drawing from Isha Foundation’s three-decade long experience in creating social and individual wellbeing, Isha Outreach initiatives implement several large-scale human service projects to support individual growth, revitalize the human spirit, rebuild communities and restore the environment. These projects are supportive of the foundation’s larger goal of raising human consciousness and addressing the critical challenges that prevent individuals from realizing their full potential.

The award-winning projects have generated tremendous public recognition and goodwill, from international forums to village-based stakeholder meetings. This success has been possible through the direct participation of over 11 million volunteers from around India and the globe. It is a demonstration of what can be achieved through unwavering commitment and an inclusive consciousness.

Serving as a thriving model for human empowerment and community revitalization throughout the world, Isha Outreach projects have been designed with care to inspire and empower people to take their wellbeing into their own hands. The projects are replicable, and can be scaled and applied in various regions in the globe by other organizations as well – making them ideal solutions for a sustainable planet.

Isha's ecological initiatives are designed to reignite their intrinsic connectedness with nature. These initiatives are interwoven into the community’s way of life, creating a strong sense of ecological ownership and an experiential understanding of the interdependence of species. They create in human beings a conscious understanding that as the most evolved life form, we have a responsibility to protect all other life forms and assist them to flourish on this planet. Working primarily in Southern India, Isha Outreach has become an example of the transformation that human intention and effort can bring about. The programs are meticulously planned and manned mostly by over 2 million volunteers, offering their time and effort for their fellow human beings’ benefit. Together with its active and dedicated volunteer base, Isha’s activities serve as a thriving model for human empowerment and community revitalization throughout the world.

Recognition and Accreditation:

• Isha has been accepted as a member organization of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in February, 2020. IUCN has formally extended support for Isha’s work and offered to provide technical assistance for the Cauvery Calling project.
• Isha was accredited with Observer Status to the United Nations Environment Assembly in July, 2020 by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) based on its assessment of Isha’s ecological initiatives and their potential for global impact.
• Isha was granted observer status with UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) at COP14 in 2019. As one of the leading NGOs globally engaged in soil and water restoration, an active collaboration is being planned.
• Isha has maintained special consultative status with UN ECOSOC (2007)
• UNICEF and the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports has nominated Isha Foundation as a member of the expert committee at the national level in PYKKA scheme
• Sadhguru spoke at the launch of 1t.org, a major WEF platform that aims to bring together the Trillion Tree community. Trillion Trees is an initiative by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and International Water Management Institute (IWMI) has extended support for the work of Isha in 2019 and has offered to provide assistance for the Cauvery Calling project
• Isha participated in the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit as part of the Nature-Based Solutions coalition led by UN Environment. Rally for Rivers was included in the NBS Compendium.

Awards:

• Indira Gandhi Environment Prize (2010) awarded by President of India, Abdul Kalam to Isha Foundation acknowledging the Project GreenHands initiative which has restored green cover in the state of Tamil Nadu with approximately 35 million trees.
• State Environment award to Project GreenHands (2012) from the Ministry of Environment, Government of Tamil Nadu
• India Today Safaigiri Award to Project GreenHands (2016)
• National Water Award (2018) Ministry of Water Resources (Jal Shakti Ministry), Government of India, awarded Isha Foundation - Rally for Rivers - the National Water Award in February 2019 for Best Educative/Mass Awareness Effort. It was supported by 162 million people and became the world’s largest ecological movement.
• Sadhguru was conferred the “Padma Vibhushan” (2017) by the Government of India in April 2017, accorded for exceptional and distinguished service.

• The organization has rich experience in planning and delivering large-scale environmental and social projects. Its projects include some of the largest ecological movements in the world, which have received support from 162 million people.
• The organization’s projects include and work with all stakeholders, from central & state governments to local village bodies and panchayats, from farmers, businesses and academia, to influencers and other NGOs. This allows project implementation to progress quickly without obstacles.
• The organization has extensive experience in bringing broad-based support to its projects, such as from governments and political parties from across the political spectrum. Several projects are actively under implementation in collaboration with various state governments. The organization’s policy proposals for river revitalization have also been circulated by the central government to all states in India, as a blueprint for river revitalization.
• Isha is accepted as a subject expert in several domains by international bodies such as the United Nations and World Economic Forum – which reflects in its accreditation by the UNCCD, membership with the IUCN, partnerships with UN Environment and UNESCO, and special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
• Isha’s efforts to raise human consciousness help equip individuals with mental and physical wellbeing through Yogic tools that bring inner balance and clarity (including rural Yoga programs, and free Yoga programs conducted online during the pandemic). By creating the right atmosphere within the individual, these tools form a basis upon which all other Isha Outreach projects can flourish. Over 65 million people have directly benefitted from the various Yogic tools offered, such as free guided meditations, simple and free Upa-Yoga practices, and advanced Yoga programs. This includes people from all sections of society such as students, rural people, prison inmates and municipal workers.

While implementing a wide variety of projects and people’s initiatives, Isha has gathered rich and rewarding experience of partnering with a large number of corporate donors, government organizations, industry bodies, and major Indian and American foundations (e.g. NABARD, Tata Trust, Arbor Day Foundation). This is owing to the highest standards of transparency and efficacy of all their projects, which has earned them the trust and confidence of the people, governments and corporates. All of Isha’s initiatives are aligned with the respective UN SDGs and with Section 135, Schedule VII activities of the Companies Act 2013.

By collaborating with Isha Outreach, corporates have the opportunity to be seen as a committed partner to global ecology, social upliftment, skill development and nation building. Isha Outreach projects have received wide positive coverage in national and international media, from prestigious organizations such as National Geographic and Discovery Channel. The projects also feature prominently on Isha Foundation’s social media handles which have over 3.8 million followers between them.

Donors can also be assured of the maximum impact of donations. Isha’s connect with the rural populace runs deep and spans several decades. The outreach programs are multidimensional with a holistic and people-centric approach, taking into account all aspects of wellbeing for the individual and community. This ensures that project outcomes are sustainable and long-lasting. In fact, in many situations, communities are able to take up the project and sustain it perpetually. Additionally, all their interventions and projects are meticulously planned, and the implementation is powered by their passionate volunteers who come from all walks of life. This allows the Isha Outreach to produce maximum impact on the ground with every donation.

Isha’s large scale community health and wellbeing initiatives have touched the lives of 11.3 million people, with 5.2 million patients treated in 7500 villages in India. Isha’s massive environmental initiatives resulted in 52.7 million trees planted thus far, of which 17.2 million were planted on private farmlands.