Naam Foundation

Naam Foundation is a Pune-based Indian nonprofit organization established by actors Nana Patekar and Makarand Anaspure in 2015. Its work developed from direct assistance to families of farmers who had died by suicide in drought-affected parts of Maharashtra, particularly the Marathwada and Vidarbha regions. The organization was created to move beyond one-time relief payments and address the wider economic and social conditions affecting rural households. Before the foundation was formally registered, Patekar and Anaspure personally helped approximately 230 families in villages across the Nanded, Parbhani and Hingoli districts. The initial assistance reportedly combined a cash payment with practical relief items such as blankets, clothing and medical supplies. The founders subsequently established Naam Foundation in Pune in September 2015 so that donations and field activities could be organized at a larger scale. The foundation's program model combines emergency support with longer-term rural development. Its activities have included assistance to farmers' families and widows, education-related support, farmer training and guidance, group farming, village adoption, employment initiatives, sewing-related livelihood clusters, housing construction and water-focused projects such as river rejuvenation. It has also promoted large-scale tree planting and the development of farming and employment centers. The stated focus is on strengthening local livelihoods rather than limiting support to direct financial compensation. Naam Foundation has identified and adopted villages including Dhondalgaon in the Vaijapur area of Aurangabad district and Aamala in Wardha district. The organization has also reported goals related to employment creation, including opportunities for young people and women. Its described operational presence has included offices in Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Aurangabad and Nagpur, although current office arrangements are not independently established in the supplied material. The organization attracted substantial public attention and donations soon after its launch. Reference material reports that it received approximately ₹80 lakh on its first day and more than ₹6.5 crore within two weeks. These figures are historical claims associated with the foundation's early fundraising period, rather than current financial information. Donations were facilitated through a State Bank of India account, with the process described as requiring a PAN card and offering tax-related benefits under the applicable Maharashtra charitable-trust framework. Naam Foundation is best understood as a social-impact and rural-development organization rather than a conventional commercial consumer brand. Its public identity is closely associated with its two actor-founders and with responses to farmer distress in Maharashtra. The available reference material does not provide sufficient information about its current leadership, legal structure, annual finances, present program scale or current status of individual initiatives.

Naam Foundation emerged from an informal relief effort led by Nana Patekar and Makarand Anaspure in response to the hardship faced by farming families in Maharashtra. In 2015, the founders began helping households of farmers who had died by suicide, initially using their own resources. The first reported beneficiaries came from villages in the Nanded, Parbhani and Hingoli districts, areas associated with severe agrarian and drought-related pressures. Approximately 230 families received a package that included a cash payment of ₹15,000, blankets, clothing and medical supplies. The founders concluded that individual assistance, while useful in emergencies, could not address the scale or causes of rural distress. They therefore established Naam Foundation as a formal organization in Pune in September 2015. Registration created a structure through which members of the public could contribute and through which relief and development programs could be coordinated. The foundation's public profile was enhanced by the reputation of its two actor-founders, but its stated work centered on farmers, widows, villages and rural livelihoods rather than entertainment. The foundation received a rapid influx of public donations after its inauguration. Historical reference material reports approximately ₹80 lakh collected on the first day and more than ₹6.5 crore within two weeks. A State Bank of India account was used to receive contributions. The described donation process required a PAN card and was associated with tax benefits under the relevant Maharashtra charitable-trust provisions. These details relate to the organization's early fundraising period; no current financial statements or independently verified contemporary figures are supplied here. Naam Foundation's program scope subsequently extended beyond direct payments. Its activities have been described under several themes: education; support for widows of farmers; assistance to adopted villages; group farming; farmer training and guidance; sewing clusters; river rejuvenation; tree planting; and construction of houses. The organization also sought to establish farming and employment centers and set goals for employment generation among young people and women. This approach positioned the foundation as a rural-development body attempting to combine relief, income generation, community infrastructure and ecological work. Two villages specifically identified in the reference material are Dhondalgaon, in the Vaijapur area of Aurangabad district, and Aamala in Wardha district. The foundation's described geographic focus is the drought-prone Marathwada and Vidarbha regions of Maharashtra. Offices were reported in Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Aurangabad and Nagpur, suggesting an operational network spanning several major cities, although the supplied sources do not establish whether all of those offices remain active. The available material does not document a complete chronology of projects, changes in leadership, audited finances or the current status of the foundation. It does, however, establish a clear institutional evolution: personal relief for a limited number of distressed families developed into a formal nonprofit focused on broader farmer welfare and village development. Naam Foundation's historical identity therefore rests on the combination of celebrity-led philanthropy, public fundraising and practical interventions intended to improve resilience in drought-affected rural Maharashtra.

• 2015

  Initial assistance to farmer families

  [1]Naam Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  Nana Patekar and Makarand Anaspure began personally supporting families of farmers who had died by suicide, reportedly assisting around 230 families in parts of Nanded, Parbhani and Hingoli.

• 2015

  Foundation registered in Pune

  [1]Naam Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  Naam Foundation was formally registered in Pune in September 2015 to expand and organize the founders' relief and rural-development work.

• 2015

  Early fundraising campaign

  [1]Naam Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  The foundation reportedly collected approximately ₹80 lakh on its first day and more than ₹6.5 crore within two weeks of its public launch.

• Adopted-village and livelihood programs

  [1]Naam Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  The organization identified Dhondalgaon and Aamala among villages receiving focused development attention, alongside initiatives involving farming, employment, education and basic infrastructure.

A farmer-focused Indian nonprofit combining immediate relief with long-term rural development, livelihood creation and environmental restoration in drought-affected areas of Maharashtra.

• Emergency and welfare assistance · 2015

  Farmer-family relief

  Naam Foundation's earliest documented service was direct assistance to families of farmers who had died by suicide. The initial packages reportedly combined a cash payment with blankets, clothing and medical supplies. This work addressed immediate household needs while also forming the basis for the foundation's later, more structured rural-development programs.

• Agricultural development

  Agricultural training and group farming

  The foundation has described farmer guidance, training and group-farming activities intended to improve rural productive capacity. The supplied material does not specify the crops, technical methods, number of participants or current operating locations, but places these activities within the organization's broader effort to move from relief toward sustainable livelihoods.

• Community development

  Adopted-village development

  Naam Foundation has adopted or focused on villages including Dhondalgaon in the Vaijapur area of Aurangabad district and Aamala in Wardha district. The village model is described as combining assistance for residents with agricultural, employment, education, housing and environmental initiatives.

• Livelihood development

  Sewing clusters and women's livelihoods

  Sewing clusters are among the foundation's listed initiatives and are connected with its objective of expanding employment opportunities for women. The available sources do not provide details about training duration, equipment, production, commercial partners or the number of women served.

• Environmental and rural infrastructure

  Water and environmental restoration

  The foundation has worked toward river rejuvenation and a large-scale tree-planting objective. These activities complement its farmer-support work by addressing water availability and local environmental conditions in drought-prone areas of Maharashtra.

• 2015Initial farmer-family relief appeal

  Maharashtra, India

  The founders' initial appeal supported families of farmers who had died by suicide, beginning with direct assistance in Nanded, Parbhani and Hingoli districts.

  Outcome. Approximately 230 families were reported to have received financial and material assistance before the foundation was formally established.

  Source
• 2015Public launch and donation drive

  India

  Following the foundation's registration and inauguration, members of the public were invited to contribute to its farmer-support work through a designated bank account.

  Outcome. Reference material reports approximately ₹80 lakh raised on the first day and more than ₹6.5 crore within two weeks.

  Source
• Adopted-village development

  Marathwada, Maharashtra · Vidarbha, Maharashtra

  The foundation developed a village-focused model involving locations such as Dhondalgaon and Aamala, with activities spanning agriculture, employment, education, housing and environmental restoration.

  Outcome. The available reference material identifies the villages and program themes but does not provide independently verified completion metrics.

  Source

• 2015

  Shift from individual relief to formal rural-development workStrategy

  Background

  The founders determined that personal assistance to a limited number of distressed families would not be sufficient to address the broader scale of farmer hardship.

  Action taken

  They registered Naam Foundation and broadened its scope to include agricultural guidance, village development, employment, environmental work and other forms of community support.

  Aftermath

  The foundation became a vehicle for public donations and a wider set of programs in drought-prone areas of Maharashtra.

  Source

1. 1Naam Foundationen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Naam Foundation official websitenaammh.org