What is your mission?

For nearly 20 years, Tripura Foundation has been committed to abolishing extreme poverty.  Our programs seek to eradicate hunger, educate children, and empower women & girls, ending the cycle of extreme poverty once and for all.

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How can I learn more about Tripura Foundation?

Our website is the most comprehensive source of information about Tripura Foundation. There you can find a wealth of information on our programs and the countries in which we operate. You can also watch a variety of multimedia stories describing the work we do and view recent press coverage. If you'd like to receive updates on our work, stories from the field, information regarding events in your area, and other interesting information about Tripura Foundation, please sign up for our periodic email newsletter.

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When and where did Tripura Foundation start?

Tripura Foundation was founded in 1989 and is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit, public benefit corporation. The founder of the organization, Dr. Baskaran Pillai, felt the need to create a service organization that would alleviate the suffering of people living in abject poverty; those who experience the most severe forms of limitation. Tripura Foundation focuses our programs primarily in India, in addition to operating smaller, targeted programs in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

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Why should I support projects in India and other developing countries?

We certainly think that every individual should support their own country. However, we feel that it is equally important to help others in the developing world. In particular, many of our donors come from some of the richest countries in the world, and their money can go much further in the countries in which we work. This world really is a small place, and providing a helping hand to those in need has no national borders.  Because we work in very poor countries like India and Mexico, we are able to have a great deal of impact with a relatively small amount of money. For example, we can fund a year of residential housing and education for a girl - including room, board, tuition, clothes, shoes, books, medical immunizations, transportation, tutoring, and more - for only US$300.

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How do I stay updated on the work Tripura Foundation is doing?

A lot happens at Tripura Foundation. The best way to keep abreast of our progress is to sign up for our periodic email newsletter. We don't spam or beg for money, nor do we sell your information to outside parties. We simply like to keep you up to date on everything that is going on and occasionally email invitations to Tripura Foundation events in your area.

Another way to stay updated is to visit our website frequently. We are continually adding new information, featured programs, "stories of hope", and other content that we think will interest you. Our goal is for you to learn something new about us every time you visit.

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Can I visit Tripura Foundation's projects?

Yes! One of the best ways to see the impact that Tripura Foundation is having on the lives of children in the developing world is to visit our projects. Upon request, we will host site visits for our donors, volunteers, and other people who are interested in our work. Our site visits are usually a few hours in length and can include a visit to one of our residential facilities, a school where Phonemic Intelligence is being used and/or a chance to meet one or more of our kids.  If you would like to schedule a site visit, please send a request through our contact page at least 2 weeks in advance of your visit date. We will follow up on your request as soon as possible.

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How are Tripura Foundation's programs aligned with the UN Millennium Development Goals?

Our goals and objectives are closely aligned with three of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals:

• Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger;
• Achieve universal primary education; and
• Promote gender equality and empower women.

Improving access to food, shelter, education and medical care for the people we serve indirectly promotes achievement of the other critical Millennium Goals as well.

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What does Tripura Foundation do to monitor and evaluate its programs?

Tripura Foundation is committed to the highest quality programs that provide the greatest benefits to children in the developing world. To this end, we monitor and evaluate our programs on an ongoing basis to:

• Track project information to ensure that we work effectively toward our goals and objectives
• Identify strengths and weaknesses to inform program decisions and make timely improvements
• Facilitate dialogue with stakeholders regarding progress toward desired objectives
• Provide accurate, relevant and timely data and information to stakeholders

We have goals, objectives, and indicators for each program to help measure our progress toward achieving our program purposes. These indicators provide specific measurements of our short-term and intermediate objectives.

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How do we form a partnership with your organization?

Partner organizations are an important strategic aspect of Tripura Foundation's business model. Please note that our local teams determine which organizations we work with to implement our programs.   Please submit your inquiry through our contact form or by email to info@tripurafoundation.org. We will pass along the information to our local teams. If our local office believes that there is potential for a partnership, they will contact your organization through the forwarded information.  Due to the volume of requests, our local teams will only be able to contact organizations where there is potential for a partnership in the near future.

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How can my school engage with you or help promote your work?

If you are a teacher, school administrator, education professional, or simply an engaged parent, we can explore bringing our Phonemic Intelligence education program to your school!  Let us know your position, where you are located, and the size of your classroom/school by sending us this information through our contact form or by email to info@tripurafoundation.org and we will be in touch.

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How can I get my company involved?

There are multiple ways in which to engage your company in the work of Tripura Foundation. The following are a few suggestions:

1. Get Tripura Foundation added to your company's list of approved non-profit organizations. This enables employees to select Tripura Foundation as the designate for their charitable giving, and to receive matching corporate donations.
2. If your company has a corporate foundation, suggest Tripura Foundation for corporate funding or connect our staff with the right people within the foundation department. We are always looking to expand and diversify our funding base, and we would welcome introductions to any corporate foundation that is interested in supporting education or hunger projects in the developing world.
3. Start a corporate fundraiser. Many individuals working in both small and large corporations have decided to launch fundraising campaigns within their corporations to support one of Tripura Foundation's projects. These campaigns can center around holiday parties or perhaps a summer outing. Once the fundraising goal is reached, everyone who participated gets the satisfaction of seeing the final Tripura Foundation project come to life with updates and photos we provide back to your team.

These are some of the more popular ways in which people choose to get their companies involved with Tripura Foundation. If you have another idea, please let us know! Contact our Donor Services group through our contact form, or send an email to donate@tripurafoundation.org if you need additional information or have an idea on how you want to get your workplace involved with Tripura Foundation.

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How can I volunteer for Tripura Foundation?

Our volunteers contribute to Tripura Foundation's success by organizing fundraising events, spreading the word about Tripura Foundation, and connecting us to individuals, corporations, foundations, and schools who might be interested in partnering with us to provide programs to children in the developing world.  If you are interested in volunteering at Tripura Foundation, please check out our volunteer opportunities page.

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As a volunteer, what kind of work would I do?

Throughout the world, volunteers for Tripura Foundation help raise funds and spread the word about the incredible work we are doing. Our volunteers work both on their own and in partnership with other volunteers. Check out our volunteer opportunities page for a list of ways you can volunteer.

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Can I volunteer or teach in a country in which you work?

Unfortunately, Tripura Foundation does not offer overseas volunteer opportunities at this time.

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Do you need volunteers who help out with administrative tasks in your Global office in Pittsburgh?

Our Tripura Foundation headquarters accepts volunteers to keep costs low.  Volunteers might stuff envelopes, enter data, work on special projects or perform any number of other administrative tasks. If you are interested in volunteering in our headquarters office, please submit your interest through our volunteer contact form.  Let us know your skills and we'd be happy to identify a way for you to help out.

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Can I host a fundraising event?

Absolutely! Many friends of Tripura Foundation choose to host fundraisers, such as cocktail parties, dinner parties and special gatherings to benefit our programs. These fundraisers are an integral part of our success. In addition to helping to fund our programs, they also offer an excellent opportunity to share the story of Tripura Foundation with new potential supporters. If you are interested in hosting a fundraising event, check out our volunteer opportunities page and/or contact our Donor Services group through our contact form or via email at donate@tripurafoundation.org.

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How can I donate to Tripura Foundation? Do you have a preferred method of donating?

We accept donations in a variety of forms depending on which country you are donating from, but we prefer checks, money orders or wire transfers for larger donations as they incur no processing fees. For detailed instructions on how to donate, please visit our Donate page. 

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Can I donate from a foreign country or in a foreign currency?

You can donate from a foreign country, but we ask that you donate in US dollars.  We accept checks (in USD), international money orders, credit cards, PayPal payments or wire transfer.  If you wish to donate via credit card or PayPal, you can donate online in US dollars via Tripura Foundation's Credit Card or PayPal donation pages. Please be advised that large donations from foreign countries are sometimes declined by the cardholder's credit card issuing bank. In these cases, it may be necessary for you to speak with your credit card issuing bank to advise them that you would like to authorize Tripura Foundation to charge your card. For more information and specific instructions for each form of payment, please visit our Donate page or contact our Finance & Accounting department through our contact page or at finance@tripurafoundation.com to obtain further directions!

Please note that all donations will be received and processed through our global office which will issue US tax receipts.

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What does it mean to "Sponsor a Project" and how can I go about doing so?

Forever altering the lives of the children of the world by providing them with food, shelter and education is an essential and attainable goal. We have developed a "Sponsor a Project" menu whereby donors either finance or raise funds for a particular project.  Our projects include sponsoring a child, sponsoring a feeding program, sponsoring a school with PI, or sponsoring a new Girlstown or Boystown project.  There are a variety of projects to choose from. Please visit the Sponsor a Project page for more information.

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Do you accept donations of goods & services?

We appreciate your interest in donating used items to Tripura. One of the reasons our organization has been able to impact so many people's lives is because of the generous involvement and support from people like you.  Unfortunately, we DO NOT accept used item donations. We have found that it actually costs Tripura Foundation more time and money to sort and ship the donated items than buying new items within India.

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I just tried donating online and it didn't work. What is wrong?

Tripura Foundation uses PayPal to process credit card and PayPal payments online.  Because of this, certain fields must be populated in order for the transaction to be processed. If you are experiencing any problems while attempting to make a donation to Tripura Foundation, please refer to the following tips below:

• Make sure that the address and zip code that you have entered are typed in exactly as they appear on your credit card billing statement.
• Sometimes large international donations are declined by a donor's credit card company. Speaking with your credit card company prior to making a large donation from outside the U.S. should resolve this problem.

If you are still having problems making a donation, please email finance@tripurafoundation.org with your phone number and the best time to reach you so that we may take your donation offline or help you troubleshoot the problem via the phone.  We thank you for your patience with any troubles encountered while making a donation to Tripura Foundation and greatly appreciate your support!

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Can I donate stock?

We are happy to accept gifts of stock! The IRS provides one of its most significant tax breaks for donations of appreciated securities. To make a stock gift to Tripura Foundation, please follow this two-step process:

1. Complete our Stock Donation Form and fax it back to us at 412-828-0911. This will ensure we have the necessary information to properly acknowledge and credit your gift.
2. Notify Tripura Foundation of the stock transfer by contacting Marybeth Cunningham, Controller, at 888-241-7337 or finance@tripurafoundation.org.

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How efficiently do you spend the money your investors give to you?

We pride ourselves on operating efficiently and effectively to enable maximum investment in our programs. In order to achieve this Tripura is nearly 100% volunteer based.  While we have few full-time staff, our volunteer corps includes highly dedicated individuals who offer their time and resources in service to their fellow men and women in need.

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How do you calculate or define overhead?

Tripura Foundation (and most other non-profits) defines the overhead ratio as the total administrative and fundraising costs divided by total expenses (administrative, fundraising, and programmatic). Per IRS guidelines, all expenses are broken into three categories: management and general administrative, fundraising, and program services. When calculating the overhead ratio, the first two go into the numerator, while all three go into the denominator:

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What is a standard overhead rate for charities?

According to the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance's Standards for Charity Accountability, charities should keep their overhead rate at 35% or lower. Traditionally, Tripura Foundation has operated at 1/3 of that rate - something that we are very proud of!  We pledge to continue to scrutinize every area of our business to keep our overhead expense well below the industry standard and to spend your money efficiently.

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