Foreign Exchange of Hate
IDRF and the American Funding of Hindutva
Full text of the report © 2002, Sabrang Communications & Publishing Pvt. Ltd, Mumbai, India, and The South Asia Citizens Web, France
Appendix H
Following the Money Trail
An Analysis of Charities Funded by the IDRF
Over the past 7 years, IDRF has disbursed more than $ 5 million for development and relief work in India. This appendix analyses the charities that the money has been disbursed for and the type of activity that these charities are involved in.
The data has been compiled from the Annual Reports issued by the IDRF which are published on its website [147]. The six annual reports (from 1994/95 to 2000/2001) detail the disbursement of $ 4.5 million of the $ 5 million that it claims it gave to Indian development and relief organizations during this period.
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H.1 Classification of Organizations
In order to do the analysis of the funds disbursed, all IDRF grantees listed in the annual reports have been classified according to their ideology and according to the activities they are involved in.
-
Ideology: The organizations have been classified according to whether they can be easily identified as an RSS-affiliate or a religious organization. These classification category is listed in the third column of the table below. The different categories are:
-
RSS-affiliated or ‘R’: These organizations, such as Sewa Bharati, Akhil Bharatiya Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram, are those that can be easily identified as RSS-affiliated charities through their own literature or other secondary sources.
-
Hindu/Jain religious organizations or ‘H’: These are organizations that can be easily identified as having a Hindu or Jain religious affiliation. These include organizations such as Yoga Satsanga Samiti, and the Shanti Sewashram Jain Dharmartha Trust. Hindu organizations involved in secular work are also included in this category.
-
Secular organizations or ‘S’: These organizations can be clearly identified as having secular credentials, and include the Army Central Welfare Fund, and well-known developmental NGO’s such as the Saath Charitable Trust and Janpath/Janvikas in Ahmedabad.
-
Unknown: The third column is left blank in cases where it has been difficult to obtain relevant information regarding the ideological orientation of the organization in question. This category includes organizations such as Makhan Lal Charitable Hospital Trust & Research Institute in Delhi and Om Prakash Soni Charitable Trust, Jagraon, Punjab.
-
-
Activities: The organizations have been classified according to the main type of activity that they undertake, and this category is indicated in the fourth column of the table below. In cases where one NGO undertakes several types of work, the aim has been to classify it according to its predominant activity. In other cases, where the IDRF funds were given for a specific activity/project, the charity has been categorized according to the activity/project funded. These categories are listed in the fourth column and are:
-
Hinduization/Tribal/Educational or ‘e’: These organizations include organizations such as the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram which work primarily for Hinduizing the tribals, and the Saraswati Vidya Mandirs which impart ‘Hindu’ Education to children. The two seemingly distinct categories of tribal welfare and education are merged together because many of the IDRF funded charities operate at the intersection of both. An excellent example are the Ekal Vidyalays (One-Teacher-Schools), which are primarily based in tribal areas with a goal of bringing the tribals into the Hindu fold.
-
Religious or ‘rel’: These organizations are primarily focused on religious or spiritual work, such as the Matrimandir Land Fund in Auroville, Pondicherry.
-
Developmental or ‘d’: These organizations are those primarily involved in economic development work, such as the Mahila Swavalamban Kendra in Gujarat.
-
Welfare/ Health or ‘w’: These organizations are organized around principles of welfare and service, such as the Swami Vivekananda Medical Mission in Nagpur.
-
Relief or ‘r’: This category includes the various relief organizations that were funded during such calamities as the Gujarat Earthquake, 2001 and the Orissa cyclone in 1999.
-
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H.2 Listing of the IDRF funded Organizations
The following table lists the 184 different organizations funded by IDRF that are available from its annual reports. The second column lists the total amount of money the organization received during the years for which the data is available. The third and fourth columns list the category in which the particular organization is placed, as per the definitions given above.
| Organization | Total | Type | Activity |
| Andhra Pradesh |
|
|
|
| Annapurnamma Vidyarthi Vasathi Gruham | $500 | R | e |
| Association For The Care Of The Aged (Hyderabad, AP) | $6,000 | S | w |
| Development & Welfare Association of the Blind (Nalgonda, AP) | $8,400 | S | w |
| Grama Bharathi, Hyderabad, AP | $26,530 | R | e |
| Jana Sankshema Samiti (Vijayawada, AP) | $28,500 | R | r |
| K.B.C. Zila Parishad High School (Vijayawada, AP) | $2,100 |
| e |
| Keshava Seva Samithi (Hyderabad, AP) | $49,825 | R | e |
| P.P.P.R. Abivrudhi Samskhema Sangam | $6,300 |
|
|
| Satya Vishnu Charitable Trust | $8,250 | H | w |
| Sewa Bharathi (Hyderabad, AP) | $3,560 | R | e |
| Smt. Misri Bai Kedia Charitable Trust (Hyderabad, AP)- for Education in Rural Areas in Rajasthan | $55,385 |
| e |
| Sri Saraswati Vidya Peetham (Hyderabad, AP) | $2,900 | R | e |
| Vaidehi Seva Samithi (Hyderabad, AP) | $17,250 Advertisement | R | e |
| Assam |
|
|
|
| Seva Bharati Purvanchal (Guwahati, Assam) | $21,000 | R | e |
| Uttar Purbanchal Janajati Seva Samiti (Guwahati, Assam) | $2,500 | R | e |
| Bihar |
|
|
|
| Vikas Bharati Bishnupur, District Gumla, Chhattisgarh | $88,885 | R | e |
| Yodada Satsang Society | $2,000 | H | rel |
| Gujarat |
|
|
|
| Lions Club of Mehsana (Mehsana, Gujarat) | $33,190 | S |
|
| Lokniketan Ratanpur | $17,425 | R | e |
| Mahila Swavalamban Kendra (Ahmedabad, Gujarat) | $24,475 | R | d |
| Manekben Punamchand Shantidas Trust | $1,360 |
|
|
| Muni Seva Ashram | $1,500 | H | w |
| Sewa Bharati Gujarat (Rajkot, Gujarat) - For Rehabilitation of Victims of Cyclone Advertisement | $30,000 | R | r |
| Shree Banaskantha Anjana Patel Kalawani Mandal (Palanpur, Gujarat) | $24,240 | R |
|
| Haryana |
|
|
|
| Arpana Research & Charitable Trust (Karnal, Haryana) | $2,350 | H | rel |
| Sri Sathya Sai Gramin Jagriti (Darwa, Haryana) | $2,800 | H | d |
| Himachal Pradesh |
|
|
|
| Himachal Shiksha Samiti (Simla, HP) | $5,700 | R | e |
| Jan Kalyan Nyas, Dharamsala, HP | $8,090 |
|
|
| Jammu and Kashmir |
|
|
|
| Jammu Kashmir Sahayata Samiti | $10,100 | R | r |
| Sanjeevani Sharda Kendra, Bohri, Jammu , J&K | $31,600 | R | e |
| Jharkhand |
|
|
|
| Birsa Seva Prakalp Bihar, Hazaribag, Jhharkhand (Bihar) Advertisement | $44,710 | R | e |
| Karnataka |
|
|
|
| Aid the Weaker Trust | $1,500 | S | w |
| Atma Darshan Yogashram (Bangalore) | $2,000 | H | rel |
| Bharateeya Shikshana Prasar Samiti | $1,450 |
| e |
| Center for Development of Advanced Computing | $3,000 |
| e |
| Hindu Seva Pratishthana (Bangalore, Karnatka) | $30,655 | R | e |
| Keshava Smrithi Samvardhan Samithi(Mangalore) | $12,950 | R |
|
| Krishi Prayog Parivar (Bangalore, Karnatka) | $14,640 | R | d |
| Mangala Sewa Samithi Trust (Mangalore, Karnataka) | $9,500 | R | e |
| National Education Society of Karnataka (Bangalore) | $8,775 | S | e |
| Nrityagram | $1,500 | S |
|
| Prabodhini Trust (Bangalore, Karnataka) | $21,000 Advertisement | R | e |
| Prajaka Seva Trust (Bangalore, Karnataka) | $1,900 |
|
|
| Rashtrotthana Parishat (Bangalore, Karnatka) | $35,500 | R | d |
| Samskrit Bharathi (Bangalore, Karnataka) | $31,850 | R | e |
| Sewa-in-Action, Bangalore, Karnataka | $29,030 | R | w |
| Sri Chennakeshava Trikutachala, Banglore, Karnataka | $7,730 | H | rel |
| Sri Kottal Basaveshwara Bharateeya Shikshana Samithi (Sedam, Karnataka) | $2,400 | H | e |
| Sri Rama Vithala Trust (Bangalore) | $2,000 | H | rel |
| Vivekananda Girijana Kalyan Kendra(Mysore, Karnataka) | $2,710 | S | d |
| Kerala |
|
|
|
| Swami Vivekananda Medical Mission (Mutil, Wayanad) | $5,420 | R | w |
| Yogakshema Trust (Cochin, Kerala) | $30,490 | R | w |
| Maharashtra |
|
|
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| Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarathi Parishad (Mumbai) | $3,615 | R | e |
| Anuradha Engineering College | $1,550 |
| e |
| Chhapra Gram Sahayak Samiti (Mumbai, Maharashtra) | $3,800 |
|
|
| Devi Ahilyabai Smarak Samiti (Nagpur, Maharashtra) | $14,500 | R | e |
| Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Vaidyakiya Pratishthan, Aurangabhad, MS | $74,730 | R | e |
| Educate the Children-India, Mumbai | $49,050 | S | e |
| Eye Bank Coordination and Research Centre (Mumbai, Maharashtra) | $2,000 | S | w |
| Gopal Navjeevan Kendra | $290 | R | e |
| International Centre for Cultural Studies (Nagpur, Maharashtra) | $4,000 | R | e |
| Jnana Prabodhini-Solapur Maharashtra | $22,935 | R | e |
| Keshav Shrishti (Mumbai) | $6,000 | R Advertisement | e |
| Miraj Medical Center | $2,800 | R | w |
| Shree Ganapati Devasthan, Janbhulpad | $1,525 | H | rel |
| Swami Vivekananda Medical Mission, Nagpur | $17,200 | R | w |
| Swa-Roopwardhinee | $1,000 | R | e |
| Vanavasi Kalyan Kendra, Mumbai | $36,280 | R | e |
| Vatsalya Trust (Mumbai) | $3,000 | H |
|
| Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh |
|
|
|
| Akhil Bharatiya Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram, Jashpurnagar, District Jashpur, Chhatisgarh, MP | $262,175 | R | e |
| Bhartiya Kushta Niwarak Sangh, Champa, Distrtict Janjgir, MP | $26,860 | R | w |
| Chattisgarh Shabri Sewa Sansthan | $9,000 | R | e |
| Deendayal Research Institute(Chitrakoot, MP) | $19,450 | R | d |
| Saraswati Vidya Mandir, Piplani (Bhopal, MP) Advertisement | $2,200 | R | e |
| Sewa Bharati Madhyakshetra, Bhopal, MP | $274,650 | R | e |
| Viklang Sewa Bharati (Jabalpur, MP) | $3,000 | R | w |
| Delhi |
|
|
|
| Amar Jyoti Charitable Trust (Delhi) | $2,860 | S | w |
| Bhao Rao Deoras Saraswati Vidya Mandir (NOIDA, UP)) | $1,400 | R | e |
| Bharat Kalyan Pratishthan,New Delhi (in 2000/2001 for Uttar Purbanchal Samiti, Haflong, Assam) | $86,750 | R | e |
| Bharat Vikas Parishad (Delhi) [For Viklang Center, Paldi, in 1998/99] | $7,410 | R | w |
| Bharatiya Cattle Resource Development Foundation | $30,355 |
| d |
| Bhaurao Deoras Rashtriya Seva Nyas, New Delhi | $72,310 | R | e |
| Ghasi Ram Charitable Trust (Delhi) Advertisement | $6,650 |
|
|
| Makhan Lal Charitable Hospital Trust & Research Institute | $63,500 |
| w |
| Poorva Sainik Seva Parishad (Delhi) - for Kargil Relief | $25,000 | R | r |
| Samskrit Bharati, New Delhi | $21,335 | R | e |
| Sanatana Dharma Sabha Charities | $430 | R |
|
| Sewa Bharati (Delhi) (Sewa Dham) | $74,880 | R | e |
| Sewa International (Delhi) - for Drought Relief & Rehabilitation in Rajasthan. | $51,330 | R | r |
| Shri Bhartu Ram Memorial Charitable Trust (Delhi) | $40,000 |
|
|
| Sri Aurobindo Education Society (Delhi) | $44,165 | H | e |
| Orissa |
|
|
|
| ANANYA, Rourkela, Orissa | $20,900 |
Advertisement | r |
| Kasturba Gandhi National Memorial Trust - Utkal Branch (Dist. Cuttack, Orissa) | $24,775 | S | r |
| Orissa Dance Academy | $1,500 |
|
|
| Shri Shri Abhiram Anandashram Seva Sangh, Bhubaneswar, Orissa | $42,520 | H | r |
| Sookruti, Bhubaneswar, Orissa | $90,660 | R | r |
| Sri Aurobindo Progress Trust, Bhubaneshwar, Orissa | $16,460 | H | e |
| Sri Ramakrishna Vivekananda Bhava Prachar | $460 | H | r |
| Swami Bichitrananda Kalyan Ashram | $6,000 | H | e |
| Uchabali High School, Bhubanaswar, Orissa | $40,000 |
| e |
| Vanavasi Seva Prakalpa, Kalahandi, Orissa | $7,025 | R | e |
| Loksevak Yuva Mandal | $5,000 |
| d |
| Open Learning Systems | $9,410 | S Advertisement | d |
| Orissa Cyclone Rehabilitation Foundation | $23,255 |
| r |
| Ramakrishna Vivekananda Bhava | $5,000 | H | r |
| Sri Aurobindo Srikshetra Trust | $7,530 | H | e |
| Unayan | $6,000 |
| r |
| Utkal Bipanna Sahayata Samiti | $37,560 | R | r |
| VAK Trust for Ichchapur School | $4,200 | H | e |
| Pondicherry |
|
|
|
| Auroville--for Matrimandir and Auroville Land Fund | $301,420 | H | rel |
| Sri Aurobindo Action (Pondicherry) | $4,750 | H | rel |
| Sri Aurobindo Ashram/Matrimandir (Pondicherry) | $2,500 | H | rel |
| Punjab |
|
|
|
| Bharat Seva Nyas (Chandigarh) | $5,000 |
|
|
| Om Prakash Soni Charitable Trust, Jagraon, District Ludhiana, Punjab | $34,950 Advertisement |
|
|
| Peedit Pariwar Sewa Samiti | $650 | R | e |
| Shri Ram Shri Durga Mandir Charities | $200 | H | rel |
| Rajasthan |
|
|
|
| Arya Samaj Bhadra (Hanumangarh, Rajasthan) | $2,850 | H | rel |
| Bharoo Gram Sikhsha Vikas Samiti (Bharoo, Dist. Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan) | $2,410 | R | e |
| Bhartiya Jan Sewa Pratishan, Raati Taali, District Banswara, Rajasthan | $24,820 | R | e |
| Chaudhry Charan Singh Girl’s Hostel (Sikar, Rajasthan) | $2,675 |
| e |
| Dayanand Mahila Shikshan Sansthan Samiti (Jhunjhunu) | $19,275 | H | e |
| Dr. Ghasi Ram Verma Samaj Seva Samiti, Chirawa, District Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan | $9,005 |
|
|
| Government Secondary School (Nibipura, Rajasthan) Advertisement | $1,450 | S | e |
| Grameen Mahila Shikshan Sansthan (Sikar, Rajasthan) | $17,695 |
| e |
| Gramotthan Vidyapeeth Didwana (Hanumangarh) | $9,025 |
| e |
| Jhunjhunu Zila Awasiya Kalyan Samiti (Jhunjhunu) | $2,950 |
|
|
| Kisan Chhatrawas Nawalgarh (Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan) | $5,525 |
| e |
| Mahatma Gandhi Kushta Ashram | $1,100 |
| w |
| Seva Bharati Rajasthan, (Jodhpur, Rajasthan) | $13,000 | R | e |
| Sewa Bharati Rajasthan (Jaipur, Rajasthan) | $8,490 | R | e |
| Sewa Sangam (Jaipur, Rajasthan) | $6,000 |
|
|
| Village Service Trust (Sardarshahar, Rajasthan) | $1,450 | S | d |
| Tamil Nadu |
|
|
|
| Bharath Cultural Trust, Trichirappalli, TN | $45,980 | R |
|
| Grama Kovil Poojarigal Peravai (Chennai, TN) Advertisement | $2,250 | R | rel |
| Naya Jyoti Charities Trust (Chennai, TN) | $14,700 | R | rel |
| Sevalaya (Chennai, TN) | $6,550 | R | e |
| Sri P. N. Narayana Sastrigal Meru Trust (Chennai TN) | $9,500 | H | rel |
| Sri Rama Dhanushkodi Abhaya Anchaneyar Seva Trust (Rameshwaram, TN) | $5,110 | H | rel |
| Swami Vivekananda Rural Development Society (Chennai) | $82,290 | R | e |
| The Ayurvedic Trust (Coimbatore, TN) | $2,410 | H | w |
| Unique Mountain Trust (Thiruvannamalai, TN) - for Arunachal | $9,035 | R | e |
| Vergal Charitable Trust (Chennai, TN) | $11,500 |
|
|
| Vivekananda Kendra and Rock Memorial (Kanyakumari) | $74,885 | R | e |
| Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal Advertisement |
|
|
|
| Devi Shringarmati Intermediate College (Dist. Azamgarh) | $6,000 |
| e |
| Dr. Ram Kumar Gayatri Devi Shiksha Association (Etah) | $24,100 |
| e |
| Dropadi Devi Saraswati Vidya Mandir | $870 | R | e |
| Girivasi Vanavasi Sewa Prakalpa (Ghorawal, UP) | $5,500 | R | e |
| Gurukul Prabhat Ashram | $940 | R | e |
| Jeevan Dhara Rakt Foundation, Meerut, UP | $45,930 | R | w |
| Mahamana Malvia Mission | $290 | R |
|
| Maharishi Valmiki Seva Sansthan (Naogarh, District Varanasi, UP) | $24,110 | R | e |
| Ramakrishna Mission Sevashram (Hardwar, UP) | $13,310 | H | rel |
| Saraswati Shiksha Mandir | $37,350 | R | e |
| Saraswati Vidya Mandir (Mawana, District Meerut, UP) Advertisement | $12,000 | R | e |
| Shanti Sewashram Jain Dharmartha Trust (Meerut, UP) | $17,000 | H | rel |
| Shiksha Bharati, Hapur, UP | $24,465 | R | e |
| Shri Bhagwat Mission Charitable Trust | $800 | H | rel |
| Sri Aurobindo Yoga Mandir (Haridwar, UP) | $9,700 | H | rel |
| Sri Ram Gram Vikas Samiti Nagauri, District Meerut, UP | $85,635 |
| e |
| Uttaranchal Daivi Apada Peedit Sahayata Samiti, Uttarkashi, Uttaranchal | $62,335 | R | w |
| Yog Satsang Samiti, Allahabad, UP | $88,000 | H | rel |
| West Bengal |
|
|
|
| Bastuhara Sahayata Samiti (Calcutta, West Bengal) - For Rehabilitation of Victims of Tornado | $1,200 | R | r Advertisement |
| Friends of Tribals Society (Calcutta, West Bengal) - For One-Teacher School Project in Orissa | $14,110 | R | e |
| Lokenath Divine Life Mission (Calcutta, West Bengal) | $3,300 | H | rel |
| Manav Seva Pratisthan | $1,200 |
|
|
| Oral School for Deaf Children | $1,000 | S | d |
| Voice of People (24 Paraganas, West Bengal) | $2,720 | S | d |
| Army |
|
|
|
| Army Central Welfare Fund - for Rehabilitation of Kargil Victims | $141,600 | S | r |
| Gujarat Earthquake |
|
|
|
| Anoopam Mission, Morgi, Dist. Anand, Gujarat | $25,530 | H | r |
| BAPS Swaminarayan Gujarat | $10,000 | H | r |
| JanPath/JanVikas Ahmedabad Advertisement | $10,000 | S | r |
| Saath Charitable Trust, Ahmedabad | $10,000 | S | r |
| Sadhu Vaswani Mission, Pune | $25,265 | H | r |
| Sewa Bharati Gujarat, Ahmedabad (for two villages and several schools) | $360,000 | R | e |
| Sheth Vakhtawarmal Deopural Charitable Trust, Gujarat | $10,000 |
| r |
| Shree 5 Navtanpuri Dham, Jamnagar, Gujarat (for reconstruction of schools) | $31,580 | H | e |
| Shri Ramakrishna Ashrama, Rajkot, Gujarat | $10,000 | H | r |
| Overseas |
|
|
|
| Bochasanwasi Swaminarayan Sanstha (New York, USA) | $5,000 | H | rel |
| Chinmaya Mission (Orlando/Cassellberry, Florida) | $18,000 | R | rel |
| Hindu Society Of Central Florida (Casselberry, FL, USA) | $2,500 Advertisement | H | rel |
| Hindu Students Council (Boston, MA, USA) | $3,000 | R | rel |
| Medi-Send International, Dallas TX, USA | $7,500 | S | w |
| VHP of America (USA) - for Support-A-Child Project | $3,500 | R | rel |
| Hindu Society of Ottawa-Carleton Inc, Kanata, Canada | $29,200 | H | rel |
|
|
|
|
|
| Total Listed | $4,467,605 |
|
|
| Not Listed but acknowledged (donations of less than $2,000 each) | $77,680 |
|
|
| Not Listed NOT acknowledged (Missing..) | $486,885 |
|
|
| Total disbursements claimed | $5,032,170 |
|
|
Figure 4 – Amounts Distributed To Charities By IDRF
* The funds that appear in bold in the second column are to donor designated charities.
H.3 Types of Organizations Funded by IDRF
Of the total of $ 4,467,605 disbursements accounted for in the above table, a little over a quarter are donor-designated funds. Donor designated funds are those monies that are directed to a specific charity by the donor and thus are funds that IDRF has no control over vis a vis its disbursement. Therefore, only $ 3.26 million is under the direct control of IDRF and is disbursed to charities identified solely by it.
The following table shows the break-up by ideology of the organizations directly designated by the IDRF.
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| Ideology | Total Money | %age |
| Sangh (R) | $2,684,915 | 82.4% |
| Religious (H) | $264,660 | 8.1% |
| Secular (S) | $70,620 | 2.2% |
| Unknown | $239,785 | 7.4% |
| Total | $3,259,980 | 100% |
Figure 5 – Amounts Distributed Based on Ideology
Sangh-affiliated organizations account for a whopping 80% or more of the total disbursed at the discretion of the IDRF. If we are to take the two categories of Sangh and Hindu Religious organizations together, it becomes clear that in excess of 90% of IDRF’s funds were given to sectarian religious organizations. In contrast, only 10% of the donor-designated funds were earmarked for Sangh charities. These figures of 80% (Sangh) and 90% (Sangh+Hindu religious) would probably be larger but for the “Unknown” category that accounts for 7%.
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Similarly, the table below shows the activities that are being most promoted by IDRF’s beneficiaries.
| Activity | Total Money | %age |
| Ed/ Tribal/ Cultural (e) | $2,250,685 | 69.0% |
| Religious (rel) | $58,890 | 1.8% |
| Developmental (d) | $128,330 | 3.9% |
| Welfare/ Health (w) | $247,935 | 7.6% |
| Relief (r) | $494,730 | 15.2% |
| Unknown | $79,410 | 2.4% |
| Total | $3,259,980 | 100% |
Figure 6 – Amounts Distributed Based on Activities
147. The IDRF’s annual reports are available at http://www.idrf.org/frontpage/Accomp.html. The annual reports provide a listing of organizations that received the IDRF funding for the fiscal years 1994/1995 to 2000/2001, but it should be noted that the report for the year 1995/1996 is not present.
