North South Foundation

http://www.northsouth.org/

From the website:

North South Foundation (NSF) was established in 1989 as a non-profit organization in Illinois. The Foundation received tax-exempt status under the Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations are tax-deductible.

Our Mission is to promote excellence in human endeavor, to develop human resources in areas that have the most potential in improving the lot of the common man, to help people achieve a full and enriched life regardless of religion, gender, caste, or geographic origin, and to give hope to those who may have none.

Volunteers solely operate NSF activities. No one in the entire chain gets any compensation for his or her services. We utilize donations for the intended purposes and run programs as per donors' desires. While organizing events, we also strive to get discounts or sponsorships for products and services. These measures allow us to keep the overhead to a minimum and use more funds to help the needy.

The Foundation provides college scholarships in India to children who excel academically among the poor families. The scholarship distribution process is very systematic and closely monitored by the coordinators in India. Most centers in India have retired professionals and prominent individuals supervising the process and following the guidelines. The process and financials are open for review to volunteers and donors.

The educational contests in the US are designed to encourage excellence among the Indian American children and prepare them to enter into better colleges. Over the years, NSF children have demonstrated superior academic performance and many have managed to enter into the top ranking schools such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford. Some of the NSF children have achieved top ranks in the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee.

We are progressing every year. Each year more volunteers join NSF, more donors make contributions, more children participate in the contests, we reach more needy students in India, and initiate more programs.