Maharashtra Foundation, the brainchild of late Shri Yashwant Kanitkar and his friends, was born in 1978 in Rochester, New York by some 10 Marathi families. They were motivated by saints like Dnyaneshwar, Namdeo and Tukaram and social reformers like Lokmanya Tilak, Agarkar, Maharshi Karve, Mahatma Phule, and Dr. Ambedkar. Their humble beginning with a small sum had great dreams. Since its establishment, over 1000 generous residents of U.S.A. have sent donations to charitable institutions in India. In addition to the Maharashtra region, the Foundation has sent aid to charities in W. Bengal, Karnatak, Kerala, Gujarat and USA.

The Foundation began with a very simple idea of helping the needy people in Maharashtra. The idea became reality when $500 were collected in the 1st year and help was sent to rural Maharashtra.

From its infancy, the group realized the benefits of volunteerism. The foundation volunteers see themselves as catalysts, promoting low cost, high return programs at grass root levels. Our 100% volunteer organization maximizes the utilization of funds for a deserving cause. The most exciting aspect of our work is that over past 27 years of Foundation's existence, the programs have grown many fold.

Currently the core group consists of many volunteers with different backgrounds and disciplines. This includes professionals in the fields of medicine, administration, finance, business and engineering. The Foundation enjoys the support, enthusiasm and dedication of the community at large.

The Executive and Disbursement Committees are elected annually by the members of the Foundation. The Executive Committee executes Foundation policies and raises funds. The Disbursement Committee is responsible for approving organizations and disbursing general donations.

The Executive Committee conducts many fund raising activities throughout the country. Artists and organizations from India and from United States have joined in this effort.

Maharashtra Foundation Certification of Incorporation (PDF)