Introducing TREEI, a Pune Social Enterprise: Five Programmes, One Method
Who we are
Most organisations are explained by what they do. We would rather be explained by what is still working four years after we leave.
TREE Innovative Foundation (TREEI) is a social enterprise in Pune, registered as a Section 8 non-profit company. Since 2018 it has worked with tribal, rural and urban communities, students, women and youth across Maharashtra. Its five programmes cover clean energy, youth, women, rivers and whole villages, and all five follow one method: build locally, connect the systems, transfer ownership, and measure what survives.
As of October 2026. Today's numbers are on our live public dashboard, the same ones our communities and CSR partners see.
Leading CSR at your company?See which programme fits your Schedule VII focus and budget cycle.
Find your CSR fit →Why does an NGO need a method, not just programmes?
Problems don't show up one at a time. A hamlet with no electricity usually has no safe water either, and its children stop studying at sunset. Fixing one problem alone rarely lasts: a solar light with no one to repair it goes dark. So, as a Pune social enterprise working on very different problems, we build every programme the same way.
What is the TREEI method?
Build locally
The community sets priorities; local people are trained to install and run the work.
Connect the systems
Power, learning, income and environment are planned to reinforce each other.
Transfer ownership
Assets and decisions move to a community body. We step back; the village steps in.
Measure what survives
We publish outcomes openly and judge success by what is still running years later.
URJA technicians at work"What once felt like a cycle I couldn't escape has now become a story of growth, skill, and self-reliance."
A former brick-kiln worker, now a Mission URJA technician · Read his story
What are TREEI's five programmes?
01 · No power after dark
What is Mission URJA?
Solar power the village owns and runs.
CSR · Schedule VII (iv), (x) · Forts: (v)Many Katkari tribal hamlets in Mulshi, Maval and Haveli have never been on the grid. Mission URJA builds decentralised solar that each village runs through its own URJA Samiti and local technicians. The Fort Edition lights Sahyadri forts like Tikona, Rohida and Asherigad.
02 · Students without direction
What does Program DHRUV do for students?
A pole star for every student.
CSR · Schedule VII (ii)Students in Classes 5–12 at under-served schools often leave with no guidance on what comes next. DHRUV brings counselling, life skills and real-world exposure into the classroom.
03 · Women left unheard
How do Project Garima and Eklavya help women?
From healing to her own income.
CSR · Schedule VII (i), (ii), (iii)Project Garima works with widows, single mothers and daily-wage women on a Feel, Heal, Lead model. Its leaders move into Project Eklavya, which turns their skills into enterprises that keep earning after funding ends.
04 · Choking city rivers
How is Program DHARA restoring Pune's rivers?
Bringing the Mula–Mutha back to life.
CSR · Schedule VII (iv)DHARA restores Pune's rivers one node at a time. It combines interception, aeration, floating wetlands, native planting, monitoring and community river stewards. River communities look after it.
05 · No systems at all
What is Program UTTHAN?
Everything arrives, together.
CSR · Schedule VII (i), (ii), (x)Some hamlets have never had power, safe water, healthcare or a school within reach. UTTHAN brings all of it at once, along with livelihoods and self-governance. It starts with the Katkari hamlet of Wartunde in Mulshi.
Alongside these, Nutrition for All tackles anaemia in families, and Project Sahyog steps in when communities face floods and other emergencies.
Which of these fits your CSR mandate?Tell us your focus area and geography. We'll suggest a defined, costed outcome.
Plan it with us →Partners & recognition
Energy ExemplarNetcrackerArtemynCorporate teams have funded, visited and volunteered on TREEI programmes. Recognised by Imerys (Paris), Persistent Foundation, UN & iCONGO and the Maharashtra ZEP Awards.
समाजाचा विकास, समाजाच्या हातात.
A community's progress, in its own people's hands.How do the five programmes connect?
Each programme feeds the next, and UTTHAN is where all five meet in one village.
From 2018 to today
- 2018 · Work begins in Pune with our first project, NeerChakra.
- 2019–20 · TREEI is registered; Program DHRUV and Project Eklavya begin.
- 2022–23 · Mission URJA lights its first villages; incorporated as a Section 8 company.
- 2024–26 · Global Winner, SD Challenge (Imerys, Paris); DHARA and UTTHAN launch.
Build something that's still working in year four.
CSR lead, donor or volunteer: there's a place for you in this work.
Frequently asked questions
Is TREE Innovative Foundation an NGO?
TREEI is a Pune social enterprise: a not-for-profit registered as a Section 8 company in Maharashtra. It works like an NGO, but every programme is designed to become community-owned and self-sustaining.
Where does TREEI work?
In 14+ locations across Pune district (Mulshi, Maval, Haveli, Pune–PCMC), Raigad and wider Maharashtra.
How can a company partner with TREEI through CSR?
Companies adopt a defined outcome, such as a village, fort, river node or school, aligned to Schedule VII of the Companies Act. Each comes with an MoU, field reporting and a live dashboard. Start a CSR conversation.
How does TREEI measure impact?
On a public live dashboard, programme by programme, judged by what is still running years after handover.
Can I volunteer or donate?
Yes. Individuals and corporate teams can volunteer in the field, and donations receive an 80G receipt. Give once or monthly.