Who We Are

"To Share, To Care, And To Serve The Needy."

TANA Foundation is a perpetual autonomous body of Telugu Association of North America (TANA). The mission of the Foundation is to improve the quality of life of all needy people in both North America and Andhra Pradesh. We at the Foundation wish to thank all the philanthropists who have over the years contributed by committing their time, ideas, and financial resources towards helping the needy.

The monetary value of the charitable work that is carried out by TANA Foundation averages one million dollars a year. The charitable work falls into three broad categories:

Projects Facilitated By TANA Foundation:

These are projects typically sponsored by philanthropists and well-wishers in North America. These projects typically benefit the hometown or village that the sponsor originates from. The projects facilitated by the Foundation span a wide spectrum. Typical projects include protected drinking water, construction of permanent cyclone shelters, school and college buildings, community halls, 65senior citizen centers, and places of worship, sanitary facilities, and model villages.

The projects are normally executed by a not for profit organization such as a Village Development Committee in India or in some instances by the State Government. Since the funds for the charitable project are sent through TANA Foundation, the sponsor in most instances will be able to treat the contribution, for tax purposes, as a charitable donation. The sponsor typically does the spadework in terms of defining the project, arranging for matching funds from the Government etc. The sponsorship forms that need to be filled out can be downloaded from the TANA website. The project needs to be approved by the Board of Trustees of the Foundation before funds can be forwarded to the organization executing the project.

Projects Executed By TANA Foundation:

These are projects that have a very broad scope and have the potential of helping the needy in the whole of Andhra Pradesh or the U.S. These projects have a leader designated by the Board of Trustees of the Foundation. The Board ensures that the benefits from the project are not limited to a particular region of Andhra Pradesh or the U.S.

Good examples of TANA Foundation Projects include – Hepatitis B vaccination, Child Rescue Shelter, Eyesight restoration, Nebuliser for Asthma Patients, Adopting bright Children to provide free higher Education (ACE), and Rural Sanitation. In most instances, TANA Foundation teams up with a local non-profit organization to execute the project. The Project Leader designated by the Board plays a strong role in raising the funds and executing the project. Eyesight Restoration, Nebuliser for Asthma Patients, and ACE are three projects that are currently very actively pursued by the Foundation. The status of these projects is highlighted in the following pages.

Funding Of Scholarships And Calamity Alleviation From Endowment Income:

The Foundation has, over a period of time, accumulated funds generated internally as well as those received from donors. These are restricted funds that are invested for the long haul. The interest income from such investments is used to fund a limited number of scholarships as well as provide emergency relief in the event of a calamity

Currently six named scholarships of $2000/- each are being issued annually to students from India who is pursuing graduate studies in the US. Also, four scholarships of $1000/- each are issued annually to High School Seniors in the US who are pursuing higher education. Further, $500/- is provided annually to North/South Foundation for conducting Spelling Bee Competitions. Several bright but poor ACE students in India are also funded through endowment income.

What has been accomplished to date has been no more than a small step towards improving the quality of life of the people in need. We encourage the community to come forward and contribute towards this noble cause. Your contributions can be in the form of new ideas for future projects, identifying resources that can benefit existing projects, sponsoring a project in your native village or town, or direct financial assistance to a TANA Foundation project. The information in the following pages summarizes the activities related to three of the projects being executed by the Foundation. If you wish to get involved and help the poorest of the poor please feel free to contact the Chairman of the Foundation at foundation-chair@tana.org.

OUR GOALS

NORTH AMERICA and ANDHRA PRADESH

  • To provide food, healthcare and shelter to the homeless and the needy people.
  • To provide emergency help to needy Telugu students and lonely visitors.
  • To help arranging special events for the elderly and disabled.
  • To encourage and promote Telugu culture among Telugu youth.
  • To help Telugu schools and promote Telugu language with scholarships.
  • To provide college scholarships to the needy and meritorious Telugu youth.
  • To help backward and remote villages by providing purified water, sanitation, septic lavatories and roads.
  • To help physically and mentally disabled.
  • To provide immunization and shelters to street children and needy people.
  • To encourage sponsors to help their villages in developing sanitary systems, purified water plants, schools and roads.
  • To provide scholarships to poor and meritorious students to study in North America.