FAQ’s

Nia in Swahili means purpose. The purpose of this organization is to empower girls with the power of choice — the choice to dream, seize opportunities and realise their potential without constraints.

Ideally, we would like to support deserving girls and boys alike. However, due to our limited resources we have chosen to focus on girls who need the most help for maximum impact. Some of the reasons why we chose to fund girls over boys are:

• Girls drop out at a higher rate than boys from high schools and colleges in developing countries, often because of lack of support.

• Cash starved families tend to prioritize support for their sons over their own daughters

• The social and economic impact of educating a girl is far greater than educating a boy from a similar situation. These girls tend to have a larger positive impact for their families and communities

Nia supports girls that are 14 and above. Typically, girls from grades nine through a graduate masters program. Due to the high drop-out rate within this age group, it is our belief that helping girls financially during the last mile of their education empowers them with the power of choice to shape their own future.

In India, the average cost of supporting a girl’s education can vary from $25 to $2500 per year, depending on the level of education. The cost of high school education can vary from $25 to $100 per year, and an undergraduate degree can cost anything from $500 to $2500 per year. To put this in perspective, the average family income of students we support ranges from $300 to $1500 per year.

At present, we do not match specific donors to specific students due to operational overhead associated with that approach. But we are constantly evaluating technology solutions within Nia and our partner organizations to make this a reality in the near future

At present, all the students supported by Nia are in India. It is our desire to expand Nia’s reach to other developing countries. If you are willing to be a Nia facilitator or know anyone who would like to be Nia’s facilitator in India or another developing country, please let us know.

Nia is registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in California, USA.

All contributions made to Nia are tax deductible against your income in the United States. We will provide a receipt through email for all donations made to Nia.

We are proud to state that 100% of your contribution will reach the students we support. We are able to achieve this goal through a light-touch operating model, an all volunteer team and donations from founding members that help cover all administrative and overhead costs.

Nia can accept contributions made through PayPal and checks. If you plan to make a large contribution, please send us a check to the address below to avoid processing charges.

Nia – The Power of Choice
C/O Mr. Bala Balasubrama
Nia, 2219 Best Ct,
San Jose, CA
95131, USA

Of course, we do accept matching donations from employers and are registered with organizations like Google, McKinsey etc. In case if you can’t find us in your employer matching program please write to us at hello@niapower.org.

Shoot us an email at contact@nia-thepowerofchoice.org with your name, contact info, the amount you raised, and your Facebook fundraiser link and we’ll get back to you.

Once you donate to us, you will automatically be signed up for our quarterly newsletter. We will keep you updated on Nia’s progress and update about the girls supported by Nia via this newsletter.

You can donate using Paypal if you are able to donate in USD or Euros. You can also utilize Benevity (www.benevity.org) local chapters (if you work for an organization that supports benevity charitable platforms, you may be able to match your donations as well) to donate in local currencies. Please do note that your donations in non U.S. locations may not be tax deductible.

The girls we support are directly through our partner organizations. See here.

We identify, shortlist, review, and select partners to work with via a rigorous process. Our partners should work in our focus communities, share our values, and above all should be able to connect us with the girls who need help. Potential partners also submit references, and our team will do detailed due diligence before officially adding them to our network.

Please email us at hello@niapower.org. if you are interested in becoming a partner.