Grant Proposal · 2026–2027
Strengthening the Ecosystem for Hyper-Local Problem Solvers to address Social & Climate Challenges in Kerala
With Changemakers Ashram in Chakkittapara, Calicut as the focal point — three interconnected programmes designed to build a long-term climate leadership movement, rooted in a place and sustained by a community.
An abundance of talented youth, a scarcity of problem solvers.
Kerala has no shortage of social and environmental challenges — nor of talented young people. What's missing is the ecosystem to hold them: mentorship, financial support, psychological safety, and long-term community engagement.
- Very few NSS volunteers continue in the social & climate sector long-term.
- Abundant climate volunteering during disasters, but little sustained effort.
- Scarcity of social entrepreneurship as start-ups.
- Lack of psychological safety for aspiring changemakers.
Unlocking Kerala's youth potential is critical to addressing systemic challenges — climate change, gender inequality, education disparity, and digital exclusion — through locally-led, scalable solutions.
Our Framework
Six interlocking components of the HLPS ecosystem.
Impact-oriented finance
Culture
Policy
Knowledge & Technology
Support Systems
Human Capital
A four-level pipeline of change.
L4 · Elevate
10+ social innovators & entrepreneurs / year
Center for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Winter School on Social Entrepreneurship, mentorship, and direct support for youth building their own organisations.
L3 · Act
20+ hyper-local problem solvers / year
Action Projects & Changemakers Ashram
Aspiring leaders address a social or environmental problem through community engagement, taking lead roles with limited resources.
L2 · Transform
60+ aspiring leaders / year
School for Social Transformation, Khoj
Life-changing exposure, education for social change, and opportunity recognition that inspires sustained action.
L1 · Engage
1 lakh students reached / year
Center for Youth Impact and Training
Active citizenship, volunteering, and community engagement to meet immediate needs.
The Ask
Three interconnected programmes from the Changemakers Ashram.
School for Social Transformation — Climate Action Edition
Nurturing 40 hyper-local problem solvers in Calicut district.
A structured district-focused leadership programme for 40 changemakers aged 21–35 who design and implement climate projects in their own communities.
- Phase 1 — 4 weeks online: climate science, systems thinking, community mapping
- Phase 2 — 9–10 day residential at the Ashram: nature immersion, field visits, design thinking
- Phase 3 — 4–6 month community action project with mentorship & peer review
- Phase 4 — Alumni network, Climate Circle Residency, Ashram-based trainings
Expected outcomes: 40 leaders trained · 40 community climate projects · 1,000–2,000 community members engaged · youth–panchayat collaboration · district-wide leadership pipeline
HLPS Fellowship
Chakkittappara — a climate-vulnerable bio-region in Calicut.
A one-year fellowship supporting 10 dedicated individuals from Chakkittappara to transition from volunteering to establishing their own community organisations. ₹10,000/month stipend + need-based project finance.
- Level 1 · Engage — pre-community-action phase in Chakkittappara
- Level 2 · Transform — immersive learning, field visits, climate skill-building
- Level 3 · Act — 3–6 month solution design & implementation with mentorship
- Level 4 · Elevate — build social enterprises with seed grants & opportunity connects
Expected outcomes: 10 fellows · community organisations founded · climate action across wards · replicable bio-regional model
Climate Circle Residency
A monthly residency for climate leaders in Kerala.
A fully-funded, two-day monthly residency bringing together 15–20 climate leaders every month to share, learn, and co-create — building a statewide climate leadership collective for Kerala.
- Climate conversations & sharing circles across districts
- Skill-building workshops on project design & campaign communication
- Collective strategy building — watershed & geo-regional clusters
- Peer support, mindfulness circles, burnout awareness
Expected outcomes: 200+ climate leaders supported annually · 20+ collaborations · watershed climate clusters · statewide movement
Programme Allocation
How the 3-year plan is structured.
The plan is designed as five interlocking investments across 2026–2028. The proportions below reflect where effort and resources are directed — detailed budgets, per-unit costs, and phasing are shared directly with funders on request.
A · Changemakers Ashram
45%Land, infrastructure, ecological restoration, and the residential base for all programmes at Chakkittappara.
B · School for Social Transformation — Climate Action
25%District-focused leadership programme nurturing 40 hyper-local climate problem solvers each year.
D · HLPS Fellowship
20%One-year fellowship for 10 individuals from Chakkittappara — stipend, mentorship, and seed grants.
E · Shared & Cross-cutting
6%Governance, M&E, communications, documentation, and shared operations.
C · Climate Circle Residency
4%Monthly two-day residency convening 15–20 climate leaders from across Kerala.
For funders: the detailed budget workbook — with year-wise line items, per-unit costs, and phasing — is shared confidentially. Write to us and we'll set up a conversation.
What this investment enables.
This is not a one-time programme. It's the infrastructure for a long-term climate leadership movement — rooted in a place, sustained by a community, designed to grow without us.
40 hyper-local climate leaders per year
SST participants implementing community projects across Calicut — forests, water bodies, schools, and livelihoods.
10 HLPS Fellows
Community members based at Chakkittappara, working full-time on real challenges — with stipend, mentorship, and seed funding.
A statewide climate network
Monthly Climate Circle Residency builds 200+ connected practitioners across Kerala within 2 years.
Self-sustaining Ashram
Beekeeping, food forest, microgreens, seed bank, kitchen garden — generating income that reduces grant dependence over time.
A replicable bio-regional model
Chakkittappara is the first node. Documented and designed to replicate across other vulnerable bio-regions in Kerala.
Research & ecosystem leadership
Co-founders' published research, UNCCD observer status, and ACYF–UNICEF participation connect this work to global conversations.
"We began with volunteering. We learned its limits. Now we're building what we wish had existed — a place, an ecosystem, a long-term commitment to land and people."
Partner with us on this journey.
Foundations, CSR partners, and grant-makers — write to us for the detailed budget workbook and a conversation.
