Axis Bank Foundation (ABF) is the Corporate Social Responsibility arm of Axis Bank, one of the largest private sector banks in India. It was formed in 2006 with the aim of giving focus and structure to Bank’s philanthropic activities.
The Foundation has a Rural Livelihood program which focuses on enhancing economic inclusion for those living on the fringes of poverty and socioeconomic inequality in rural India. The key areas of support under the Rural Livelihood program are a) Natural Resource Management, b) Farm Based Activities, c) Non-Farm Activities d) Collectivisation and e) Vocational Training for the able and the disable.
Foundation works in partnership with civil society organizations to co-create projects. The projects are based on a framework that comprises of the needs of the communities and aims at building their capacity to work towards their development goals. Linkages with markets and financial institutions along with leveraging government programs are an integral part of the program. The Foundation strongly focuses on building people institutions as a means for
long term sustainability.
The program outcomes are also aligned to achieve some of the Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) set by United Nations in 2015 – Goal 1 – No Poverty, Goal 2 – Zero Hunger, Goal 4 – Quality Education, Goal 5 -Gender Equality, Goal 10 – Reduced Inequalities and Goal 13 – Climate Action
