Ashish Dhawan transitioned from a successful career in private equity to philanthropy over a decade ago, driven by a deep commitment to enabling systemic change in India. In 2012, he founded Central Square Foundation (CSF) to focus on foundational education reform, and later co-founded Ashoka University, a pioneering liberal arts institution. These experiences deepened his understanding of the need for a broader, systems-level approach to address India’s most complex development challenges. This led to the founding of The Convergence Foundation (TCF) in 2021.
The Convergence Foundation is an Indian philanthropic organization, primarily funded through Ashish Dhawan’s philanthropic capital, with the goal of catalyzing additional co-funding from aligned donors and long-term partners. TCF is driven by the belief that rapid, sustained, and inclusive economic growth is the most powerful lever to improve the lives of all Indians. TCF’s work is split across Economic Growth, Human Capital Development and Accelerating Development Enablers.
TCF operates with a deep commitment to systems change—mobilizing strategic funding, sectoral expertise, and strong leadership to build enduring institutions. With a growing portfolio of high-impact organizations, it is working to strengthen the foundation of India’s development architecture and advance progress on complex, cross-cutting issues.
TCF’s approach is rooted in collaboration, evidence-based decision-making, and long-term capacity building, aiming to drive meaningful, scalable, and lasting impact across the country.
