Bollywood Actors And Actresses Who Have Their Own NGOs
Posted On: 27 Jun 2022 | Last Updated : 19 Oct 2022 | Views : 8.k
Bollywood celebrities are the most influential people in the country, who are not only loved for their good looks or performances on the silver screen but also for their efforts for making the world a better place. From fashion to lifestyle, from health care to welfare, these celebs inspire or influence their fans in every way. Despite their busy and hectic schedule, these celebrities manage to take time out from the glitz of Bollywood, to work and address the social issues related to poverty, education, animals, water, the environment, women, homeless people, children, human trafficking, and many more. The efforts of these celebrities are praised by everyone, as they are considered to be role models by many who follow them religiously, thus it becomes easier to make more people join the cause or become part of the organization or campaign. While some celebrities show their support to NGOs by being goodwill ambassadors, others choose to have their own NGOs. So here we present to you the list of Bollywood actresses who run their own NGOs. Check out more such Bollywood updates, articles, topics, and trivia related to movies and celebrities.
1. Jacqueline Fernandez - YOLO Community Foundation
About YOLO Community Foundation: The YOLO (You Only Live Once) Community Foundation provides scholarships, awards and stipends to individuals for educational purposes. The motive of the foundation is to promote philanthropy through which the members/volunteers could pursue their own charitable goals and help the youth to learn the meaning of community involvement and services.
The founder of the organization, Jacqueline Fernandez, announced the launch of the Foundation in April 2021, so as to help people create and share the stories of kindness amid the pandemic. Through her foundation, the actress wanted to extend the help to individuals or the organizations working for COVID relief by collecting donations for the procurement of oxygen cylinders and other help.
2. Salman Khan - Being Human Foundation
About Being Human Foundation: Being Human Foundation is a registered charitable trust working in the areas of education and healthcare of the underprivileged. The Foundation is one of the most famous NGOs by Bollywood Celebs. It performs the charitable activities that funds the education of children of their partner schools and also supports the VEER initiative, under this program they train and appoint differently abled people. The foundation also provides funds for the treatment of underprivileged children.
Being Human Foundation was founded by Bollywood actor Salman Khan in 2007 for the welfare of the underprivileged children, and most of the funding of the organization is generated by the sale of Being Human-branded merchandise.
3. Gul Panag - Gul 4 Change
About Gul 4 Change: Gul 4 Change is a subprogram of the Col. Shamsher Singh Foundation, which works for different issues in the state of Punjab. The program works towards ‘Gender Equality’, as Punjab has the lowest sex ratio and the highest female foeticide in the country, after Haryana. They also work to help Punjabi youth get rid of drug addiction, seek proper education and get employed, thus eliminating hidden unemployment in the state. The state is also prone to a number of natural disasters and the program works towards relief programs and disaster management.
The Dor actress, Gul Panag is the founder of the program ‘Gul 4 Change’ and the goodwill ambassador of other programs under ‘The Col. Shamsher Singh Foundation’. She has been a devoted social activist, who has run marathons, has presented powerful opinions and debated critical topics of concerns over the years, for bringing the change in this world.
4. Rahul Bose - The Foundation
About The Foundation: The Foundation is an organization dedicated to the removal of discrimination in all forms. They select the children of the area of concern, provide them education, exposure, multifaceted experience, etc., so that when they return to their homeland after years, they act as the leaders and change-makers.
Rahul Bose, the founder, is an acclaimed speaker, influencer and social activist, who launched this scholarship program for the children of Andaman and Nicobar Islands to bring change by uplifting the disadvantaged and socially or economically backward areas, by working on the people that are ancestrally, socially and culturally linked to the area.
5. Nana Patekar - Naam Foundation
About Naam Foundation: The Pune-based NGO, Naam Foundation works for the betterment of the farmers in the drought-prone areas of Marathwada and Vidarbha in the state of Maharashtra, India. The foundation works on planting 1 crore trees, training and guiding the farmers, providing farmers employment centres, etc. It has also adopted a few villages and works for generating employment for the youth of these districts or villages.
Naam Foundation is an NGO by Bollywood actors Nana Patekar and Makarand Anaspure. The duo was inspired to start the foundation, after observing the increase in the number of suicides committed by farmers in the year 2015. They initially helped 230 families of these farmers at a personal level, and later registered ‘Naam Foundation’ in Pune in September, 2015.
6. Farhan Akhtar - MARD
About MARD: MARD or Men Against Rape and Discrimination is a social campaign that aims to raise the awareness against rapes and discrimination faced by women of the nation. The campaign covers topics like gender equality, respect towards women, the plight for change and the lessons of values for the youth of the nation.
The campaign was launched by Bollywood actor-director Farhan Akhtar in 2013 and became a topic of discussion on social networking sites and received positive reviews from other Bollywood actors.
7. Aamir Khan - Paani
About Paani: Paani Foundation was set up with the mission for making rural Maharashtra drought free and uplift the living standards of farmers and their families. For decades, rural areas have faced water shortage, however, it is not entirely just a natural calamity, but the result of poor management of water and other resources by the residents. Thus, the initiative focuses on mobilizing, training and motivating the villagers to tackle the drought.
The Paani Foundation was set up in 2016 by Indian actor Aamir Khan and his ex-wife Kiran Rao, along with the core team of the Indian reality show ‘Satyamev Jayate’, with the motive of spreading awareness for water management and groundwater replenishment.
8. Alia Bhatt - CoExist
About CoExist: CoExist the ecological initiative that highlights the works towards the issues of animals and ecological welfare. The initiative encourages the locals to co-adopt and take care of the stray animals in order to reduce the conflicts between humans, animals and nature.
Alia Bhatt is one of the actresses of the younger generation in Bollywood, and seeing her initiative for the strays and environment is applaudable. She launched the campaign in 2017 to show her love for animals and the environment.
9. Deepika Padukone - Live Love Laugh Foundation
About Live Love Laugh Foundation: The Live Love Laugh Foundation is a non-profit NGO that deals with mental health issues. The foundation focuses to create awareness and reduce the stigma around depression, and fund community based mental health projects, and also to change the way people look at mental problems in general in India.
The NGO was founded by Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone, who has always been vocal about her issues with depression in the past, in 2015, with the motive that no one must suffer the way she suffered from depression, anxiety or other mental issues.
10. Shabana Azmi - Mijwan Welfare Society
About Mijwan Welfare Society: The Mijwan Welfare Society is set up in a small village, Mijwan in Azamgarh, UP. The famous poet, Kaifi Azmi was born in this village. After attaining success in his career, Kaifi Azmi gave up his well-settled luxurious life and returned to his village after 40 years, and founded ‘Mijwan Welfare Society’ was the upliftment of people in the village and for the development of the village that was frozen in time and had no access to basic facilities.
After the death of the poet, Mijwan Welfare Society was taken over and taken care of by his daughter, actress Shabana Azmi, which now focuses on women empowerment and women education. She received the support of many Bollywood celebrities, including Namrata Goyal and Manish Malhotra, while Ranbir Kapoor is the goodwill ambassador of the organization.
11. Shah Rukh Khan - Meer Foundation
About Meer Foundation: Meer Foundation is a non-profit organization that focuses on the rehabilitation of Acid Attack survivors under the work for Women Empowerment. It also funds the corrective surgeries for the acid attack survivors and provides guidance and help in any form to acid attack survivors.
The Badshah of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan is one of the top actors who run their own NGOs. He incorporated the ‘Meer Foundation’ in 2013 with the aim to support the acid attack survivors and give them an opportunity to grow and live life to the fullest, so as to avoid them from feeling helpless and powerless.
12. Sushmita Sen - I Am Foundation
About I am Foundation: I Am Foundation is the non-profit organization that works for the upliftment of the disadvantaged. The foundation focuses on not financing their needs but to provide them with opportunities, so as to help bring positive changes in the life of vulnerable people of our society.
The acclaimed actress and Miss Universe 1994, Sushmita Sen is the face of the organization, which was registered in 2009. Over the years, the foundation has built trusted partnerships with individuals and other organizations, and has helped many underprivileged and disadvantaged people of the society.
13. Anupam Kher - Anupam Kher Foundation
About Anupam Kher Foundation: The Anupam Kher Foundation is a public charitable trust based in Mumbai, which aims to maximize the future opportunities for children from less privileged backgrounds and promote the good quality education and growth of these children.
Bollywood actor, Anupam Kher founded this Charitable Trust in 2008 with the aim to advocate the teaching pattern/methods for holistic learning, and work for children suffering from life threatening diseases.
14. Priyanka Chopra - Priyanka Chopra Foundation
About Priyanka Chopra Foundation: Priyanka Chopra Foundation is an award-winning non-profit organization that is headquartered in the United States. It aims to serve the children suffering from life limiting diseases. The organization supports the patients and their families, and also supports the education of the patient’s siblings.
The Miss World 2000 title holder Priyanka Chopra is one of the top actresses of Bollywood who run their own NGOs. She is the founder of the Priyanka Chopra Foundation. The actress has always promoted the social causes and is a feminist, who has supported many women’s right and environment related campaigns, while namesake foundation works for providing the healthcare support to the underprivileged children.
15. Sonu Sood - Sood Charity Foundation
About Sood Charity Foundation: The Sood Charity Foundation is an initiative to raise awareness and provide care for the needy, and serve healthcare, education, employment and technological advancements to people across the country, so as to ensure everyone’s development.
Founded by the philanthropist Bollywood actor, Sonu Sood amid the pandemic was an initiative to support the needy. He became a support system for countless families during the pandemic and was credited as the ‘Real Hero’ by masses.
16. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan - Aishwarya Rai Foundation
About Aishwarya Rai Foundation: Aishwarya Rai Foundation was set up by the Bollywood actress and Miss World 1994 title holder Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in November, 2004 to help the needy people in India. From supporting the education of underprivileged children to helping them with their medical and sanitary needs, the organization works towards betterment of these people.
17. Shilpa Shetty - Shilpa Shetty Foundation
About Shilpa Shetty Foundation: The Shilpa Shetty Foundation is a Mumbai-based Non-governmental Organization that acts as an umbrella organization and aims at covering as many orphanages as possible and help them raise the funds for themselves by number of activities to help them uplift and empower the orphans.
It was founded by actress Shilpa Shetty with the aim of bringing upliftment in the lives of underprivileged, but she never got the time to concentrate on it. Later, it was revived by her husband Raj Kundra.
18. Milind Soman - United Sisters Foundation (USF)
About United Sisters Foundation: United Sisters Foundation (USF) is the organization that works for the betterment of women. USF organizes Pinkathon, which is India’s biggest women’s marathon, aimed to create awareness about breast cancer, cervical cancer and other life-threatening fatal diseases prevalent among women. After the success of Pinkathon, USF has decided to focus on creating awareness about menstrual health among women.
USF was founded by Bollywood actor, swimmer, model and sportsperson, Milind Soman in 2014 with the motive to spread awareness about fatal diseases among women and educate them about taking care of their bodies.
19. Nafisa Ali - Action India
About Action India: Action India is an organization founded by social activist and Bollywood actress Nafisa Ali. The organization is dedicated towards spreading the awareness about HIV/AIDS in India, and also for the betterment of the HIV/AIDS patients. In December, 2002, ‘Ashraya’, the care home for HIV/AIDS patients came into being and started to shelter the patients. Her motive was to come forward to speak about the stigma about the disease and also the discrimination faced by the patients, and also provide them care and necessary treatment to recover.
20. Nandita Das - Leapfrog
About Leapfrog: Leapfrog is an advertising organization geared towards making socially conscious ad films, which was co-founded by actress and social activist, Nandita Das and her ex-husband, Saumya Sen. Other than Leapfrog, Nandita Das is also a supporter of the ‘Dark is Beautiful’ campaign by the Women of Worth Organization, which fights against colourism and helps people to regain their self-worth. She later reinvented the campaign as ‘India’s Got Colour’, which was supported by many Bollywood celebrities.
21. Akshay Kumar - Navjyoti Foundation
About Navjyoti Foundation: Navjyoti Foundation was founded by Dr. Kiran Bedi along with 16 police officers, and it works towards the upliftment of underprivileged sections of the society and provide them with the opportunity to live a dignified life.
Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar, who is known for his philanthropic work and support for any kind of awareness campaign and charitable programmes, has been recently associated with the Navjyoti Foundation.
