Yoga Gives Back is deeply grateful to receive a $40,000 grant from Guru Krupa Foundation (GKF) for the 2026–27 academic year, supporting 160 students through our SHE (Scholarship for Higher Education) program in Chamarajanagara, Karnataka.
Since 2020, Guru Krupa Foundation (GKF) has supported Yoga Gives Back (YGB) in its mission to expand educational opportunities for underserved communities in India. Since 2023, this partnership has grown further, with GKF providing annual funding for SHE Scholarships in Chamarajanagara. As a result, this year marks the fourth consecutive year of GKF support for the program.
Through this ongoing partnership, Guru Krupa Foundation and Yoga Gives Back are helping more young people access higher education and build brighter futures. In turn, these opportunities can lead to greater financial independence, stronger families, and more economically stable communities.
Supporting Higher Education in Chamarajanagara
Yoga Gives Back launched the SHE program in Chamarajanagara in 2013. Working with Deenabandhu Trust, YGB helps students pursue college, vocational training, and careers.
Many SHE students come from families living below the poverty line and from historically marginalized SC/ST and OBC communities. Their parents are often daily-wage earners who have very limited resources to pay for higher education. The scholarship helps cover college and tuition fees, transportation, hostel expenses, and other education-related costs.
The program is built on long-term relationships with students and their families. Many of the students have attended Deenabandhu School, so their backgrounds and family circumstances are well known. Students are selected based on need and educational goals, and their academic progress is monitored throughout the program.
During the 2025–26 academic year, 146 students received SHE scholarships. 15 completed their studies, including graduates in nursing, engineering, law, computer applications, science, and vocational programs.
One of those students is Mamatha, who pursued a B.Sc. in Nursing. During YGB’s 2025 Seva Trip, we visited Mamatha and her family and learned more about the financial challenges behind her educational journey and what continuing her studies has meant to them.
Hearing Directly From SHE Students
In March 2026, seven SHE students and alumni met online with YGB, Guru Krupa Foundation, Deenabandhu, and global Ambassadors to share experiences and aspirations. Mukund Padmanabhan, Founder and President of GKF, joined the conversation and heard directly from the students whose education the Foundation helps support.
Among them was Nisarga, who is studying aircraft maintenance engineering in Bangalore. Asked what education has brought to her life, she said:
“The most important thing education brought into my life is confidence and independence. It helped me believe that my situation does not have to decide my future.”
Nisarga spoke candidly about her family’s financial difficulties and watching her mother work hard to support them. She is determined to build a career that will allow her to care for her family. And one day, help another girl who is “quietly dreaming of something bigger.”
A Long-Term Partnership
In November 2025, Yoga Gives Back presented Guru Krupa Foundation with YGB’s Partnership Award in recognition of its continuing commitment to education and underserved youth.
GKF supports charitable initiatives across education, social welfare, arts and culture, spirituality, and the environment in India and the United States.
For SHE, sustained annual support is especially important as young people move from secondary school into college, nursing, engineering, vocational courses, and postgraduate study, reliable funding helps them continue toward graduation and meaningful employment. We thank Guru Krupa Foundation for continuing this partnership and helping 160 students pursue higher education in Chamarajanagara this year.
Learn more about Guru Krupa Foundation.
Learn more about YGB’s SHE Scholarship for Higher Education program.
