I. Inform: Connecting the Odia Diaspora
It’s difficult to understand the realities of social issues while not on the ground, while not actually speaking to organizations that are trying to solve the problems. Even Odias living elsewhere in India find it difficult to find reliable and updated information.
For that reason, OSA Impact has just launched Insights, an easy to consume bi-weekly email briefing that aims to keep the Odia diaspora informed. We take the time to conduct our own research, interview NGO’s on the ground, and curate only the most relevant information to share with you. Join us here.
II. Invest: Injecting Philanthropic Capital
For our Invest initiative, we look to provide philanthropic grants to people and organizations that are innovatively solving social problems in Odisha. Most importantly, we look for those that are effectively employing sustainable business models and are minimizing donor dependency. We concentrate our grants in sectors that do not traditionally receive mainstream capital, including the sanitation, livelihood, and clean energy sectors, among others.
In addition to direct grants, we are also working with Invest India and Startup Odisha to provide a platform for interested members of the Odia diaspora to individually engage in Odisha’s development via an angel network.
III. Inspire: Cultivating Innovators & Entrepreneurs
We believe in empowering Odias. They don’t need any organizations from outside to solve their problems. Rather, they have all the human capital to develop and thrive independently. Often times, one just needs a push. While we see the IIT’s of the world with extensive entrepreneurial resources, the campuses of schools in Tier 2 and Tier 3 often have little to nothing. As a result, students do not receive exposure to entrepreneurship – they do not receive the push that is so important.
OSA Impact is currently working to cultivate partnerships on the ground to create these missing resources, to cultivate this entrepreneurial ecosystem, and to ultimately inspire Odisha’s next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs.