The Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF) was set up on June 21, 1991, to realize the vision of Shri Rajiv Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India. Shri Gandhi dreamt of a modern India, secular, and progressive; a country that enshrines the democratic principle of equality and blends progress with rich cultural traditions. He imagined a country with an educated people free of prejudice; where women participate as equals; a nation with the space and will to empower all citizens, and especially the underprivileged.
From 1991 to 2009, the Foundation worked on a number of critical issues, including health, literacy, science and technology, women’s and children’s development, disability support, Panchayati Raj institutions, natural resource management, and libraries. In 2010, the Foundation decided to focus on education going forward. In addition, the Foundation has been continuing key flagship programmes including INTERACT (providing educational support to children impacted by conflict), the Rajiv Gandhi Access to Opportunities programme (enhancing mobility of physically challenged youth), the Rajiv Gandhi Cambridge Scholarship programme (providing financial assistance to bright Indian students to study at Cambridge), Natural Resource Management (supporting Gram Gaurav) and Wonderoom (an innovative children’s library).