Pratham

What Pratham does

Pratham is an Indian education nonprofit that began in 1995 by bringing classes to children in Mumbai's slums and has grown into one of the largest NGOs in the country. Its core goal is simple: make sure children actually learn to read and do basic math. It also runs a second-chance program that helps girls and women finish grade 10, and vocational training for young people.

Pratham is known for two ideas. The first is Teaching at the Right Level: teaching children at the level they are actually at, rather than the level their grade assumes, using low-cost methods designed to be copied at scale. The second is the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), a large survey of children's learning whose findings feed into Indian education policy. Pratham works alongside governments and thousands of volunteers, and its approach is now used in more than 30 countries.

US donors can give through Pratham USA, a Houston-based 501(c)(3) (EIN 76-0620808) that supports Pratham's work in India. Charity Navigator gives it four stars with a 100% score, and Pratham USA reports that its programs reached nearly 7.56 million children in the 2025–26 academic year.

Key facts

• Reached nearly 7.56 million children through education programs and partnerships in the 2025–26 academic year (Pratham USA)
• Delivers programs in 20,000 communities across 24 Indian states and union territories, and works with partners in over 30 countries (Pratham USA)
• Trained 84,000 youth in employable skills, and nearly 20,000 girls and women enrolled in its Second Chance grade-10 certification program (Pratham USA)
• Runs the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), which has become an input to central and state education policy in India (pratham.org)

Before you give

• Pratham USA accepts gifts via donor-advised funds, stock, IRA, and cryptocurrency, and points donors to employer matching (prathamusa.org/donate/).
• Donors in India should give through pratham.org rather than Pratham USA.