Todi Foundation

The Todi Foundation is a tightly held, relationship-driven family foundation established in 1996 by Nand and Shashi Todi of Gwynedd Valley, Pennsylvania (Montgomery County). Now holding $35.1 million in assets as of FY2024 — up from $10.5 million in 2019 — the foundation has entered a significantly higher-capacity phase of grantmaking, driven in part by an extraordinary $17.2 million contribution infusion in FY2023.

Nand Todi serves as sole President at zero compensation, and the foundation employs no paid staff. This structure reflects a hands-on, values-driven approach in which all grantmaking flows through personal relationships with the Todi family, not through a formal review committee or staffed application process. The foundation's philosophy centers on seva — selfless service — a principle visible in both their India-based charitable facilities (Nand Bhawan and Shashi Bhawan at Apna Ghar Ashram in Bharatpur, Rajasthan) and their landmark $1 million gift that created Todi's Place of Hope for unhoused adults in Lansdale, PA, which opened February 2026.

The foundation does not accept unsolicited applications. Its official application instruction is 'ON A SPECIAL REQUEST FORM,' which in practice means every grant originates from an existing personal relationship with the Todi family. Organizations that have received consistent multi-year support — Apna Ghar Inc. (4 grants, $2.6 million total), Bharatiya Temple (5 grants, $707,859), and Vidya Bharati Foundation Inc. (3 grants, $450,000) — share deep, long-standing ties to the founders' values and community network.

Organizations best positioned for support serve one or more of three overlapping spheres: South Asian and Indian diaspora communities in the Philadelphia region or with India-based programming; homelessness and supportive housing in Montgomery County, PA; and educational access for underserved youth, particularly first-generation college students. Crossover organizations serving multiple spheres — such as Apna Ghar, which operates PA shelters with strong ties to the Indian-American community — receive disproportionately large and repeated support. All grants to date are for general operating fund or general support purposes, with zero project-specific grants in the entire tracked portfolio.

The Todi Foundation's annual giving has grown substantially alongside its asset base, though annual totals vary considerably year to year. Annual grants paid: $474,312 (2019), $519,200 (2020), $628,582 (2021), $1,287,861 (2022), $656,613 (2023), and approximately $1,995,564 (2024). The five-year average (2020–2024) is approximately $1.02 million per year, with FY2022 and FY2024 representing peak deployment years. Total assets grew from $10.5M (2019) to $35.1M (2024), a 234% increase over five years.

Across 44 tracked grants totaling $4,380,117, the average grant is $99,548 — but this figure is sharply skewed by three anchor grantees who together represent 85.8% of all tracked giving:

• Apna Ghar Inc. (PA): $2,600,000 across 4 grants (average $650,000 per grant)
• Bharatiya Temple (PA): $707,859 across 5 grants (average $141,572 per grant)
• Vidya Bharati Foundation Inc.: $450,000 across 3 grants (average $150,000 per grant)

The foundation's median grant is $25,000, with a documented range from $100 to $750,000 for individual awards. A second-tier cluster of organizations receives $30,000–$175,000: Indus Educational & Empowerment ($175,000 in 1 grant), India Development & Relief Fund ($132,500 across 5 grants, averaging $26,500 per grant), and Support A Child ($75,000 across 3 grants). Smaller grants under $15,000 — roughly 10 grantees — appear to represent cultural community organizations and newer relationships, possibly trial grants before deeper commitments.

Geographically, Pennsylvania dominates: 24 of 44 tracked grantees (54.5%) are PA-based, and all the largest grants flow to PA organizations. Maryland accounts for 5 grantees, Illinois for 4, Kansas for 3, and New Jersey, DC, California, Minnesota, and North Carolina each contribute 1–2 grantees. All 44 tracked grants are for general operating fund or general support — a consistent, deliberate pattern across more than a decade of 990 filings that applicants should mirror precisely in how they frame any ask.

The Todi Foundation's five peer foundations — identified by comparable asset size (~$35M) and shared NTEE T20 classification (Private Grantmaking Foundations) — provide useful benchmarking context for understanding where this funder sits in the landscape.

Among this cohort of similarly capitalized private foundations, the Todi Foundation is distinctive in three important ways. First, its grantmaking is unusually concentrated: three grantees absorb 85.8% of tracked distributions, suggesting it functions more as an anchor funder for a small set of mission-aligned organizations than as a broad-access grantmaker. Second, its asset base grew dramatically in a single year (FY2023: $18.7M to $34.4M), a capital event that peers of static similar size have not necessarily experienced, and which signals an upcoming period of higher grantmaking capacity. Third, Todi's FY2024 giving of ~$2.0M represents approximately 5.7% of assets — above the typical 5% private foundation payout floor — indicating active rather than conservative deployment of capital.

The most significant recent development is the February 2026 opening of Todi's Place of Hope, a 20-bed transitional housing facility in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, funded by a $1 million grant from the Todi Foundation. The ribbon-cutting ceremony took place February 20, 2026, with the facility officially accepting referrals by February 23, 2026. Partners included Resources for Human Development (RHD), the Borough of Lansdale, Montgomery County, and the Philadelphia Rajasthani Mandal (PARAM). The facility provides short-term supportive housing for adults experiencing homelessness, with wraparound services including behavioral health support, employment assistance, and housing placement coordination for up to 20 residents at a time. Prior to the opening, Nand and Shashi Todi toured the Lansdale facility on December 5, 2025, alongside county officials and RHD representatives.

This initiative represents the foundation's most prominent public commitment to local homelessness — a strategic complement to its longstanding support for Apna Ghar Inc. ($2.6M across 4 grants), which also operates shelter and community services in Pennsylvania.

On the financial side, FY2023 was a watershed year: contributions received totaled $17.2 million (versus $3.5 million in FY2022), driving assets from $18.7M to $34.4M and nearly doubling the endowment in a single year. Annual giving in FY2024 reached approximately $2.0 million — the highest in the foundation's recorded history. No leadership changes have been publicly announced; Nand Todi remains President without compensation, with no paid staff.

Given the Todi Foundation's strictly relationship-based grantmaking model, applicants must reframe entirely away from traditional proposal processes and toward long-term community relationship development.

Establish community presence in Montgomery County. The Todi family's philanthropic activities are anchored in the Philadelphia-area Indian-American civic and cultural community. Organizations with board members, staff, or partners connected to Bharatiya Temple, Apna Ghar Inc., the Philadelphia Rajasthani Mandal, or Montgomery County Community College are best positioned to receive a warm introduction. Attending public events — community celebrations, temple functions, charitable ribbon-cuttings — where the Todi family is present builds the recognition that precedes outreach.

Use the language of seva. Every public description of the Todi family's philanthropy emphasizes seva — selfless service — and the moral obligation to provide basic necessities to underserved community members. Frame your organization's work in terms of dignified transformation rather than program deliverables or output metrics. The foundation's $1 million housing gift was described publicly as embodying 'the transformative power of being able to provide basic necessities.'

Make initial contact by phone, not in writing. The foundation's sole listed contact method is (215) 362-1217. There is no website, email address, or online application portal. A brief, respectful phone call to introduce your organization in two to three sentences and inquire whether the foundation is open to introductions is the appropriate first step. Do not mail or courier unsolicited proposals.

Seek general operating support only. Every tracked grant across 44 awards is for general operating fund or general support. Frame any ask around institutional mission and ongoing operational capacity — not a specific project, capital campaign, or restricted program. Proposals for general support signal alignment with the foundation's pattern; project-specific asks do not.

Plan for a multi-year cultivation timeline. The foundation's top grantees have received three to five grant cycles of support. A first relationship may take one to two years to mature into a first grant. Do not include this source in near-term revenue projections; treat it as a long-term strategic pipeline investment.

If invited to submit materials: Prepare a concise one-page organizational overview covering your mission, the population served, annual operating budget, and three to five outcomes. Keep it brief and values-aligned. A formal application, if ever requested, will arrive on the foundation's own 'special request form' — do not submit anything in writing until asked.