Ethics & anti-corruption policy

Principle

Every rupee we receive is given on trust, for the education of children who have few alternatives. Diverting, wasting, or misrepresenting the use of those funds is not a procedural failure — it takes something from a child. We treat it accordingly.

Bribery and improper payments

• No one acting for Navantara may offer, give, request, or accept a bribe, kickback, or facilitation payment, in any form, to anyone, at any time.
• This applies to dealings with government officials, school administrators, vendors, donors, and partner organisations alike.
• The rule holds even where a payment is described as customary, or where refusing it delays or costs us a program opportunity.

Gifts and hospitality

• Modest hospitality in the ordinary course of work is acceptable. Cash or cash equivalents are never acceptable.
• Any gift or hospitality with a value above ₹2,000 must be declared to the Executive Director and recorded.
• No gift may be accepted while a procurement, grant, or partnership decision involving the giver is pending.

Procurement and expenditure

• Purchases above a threshold set by the Board require competitive quotations and written justification for the selected vendor.
• No staff member may approve an expenditure from which they, or a relative, benefit. See our Conflict of Interest Policy.
• Program funds are used only for the purpose for which they were given. Restricted grants are tracked separately and reported to the donor.
• All accounts are audited annually by a Chartered Accountant firm registered with the ICAI.

Honest representation

• We do not overstate our reach, results, or the certainty of our evidence in fundraising or reporting.
• Where a program underperforms, we report it to the donors and partners concerned.
• We do not present another organisation's work as our own.

Raising and handling concerns

Suspected breaches should be reported to donate@navantara.org, or through the channels in our Whistleblower Protection Policy policy if you prefer to remain anonymous.

Substantiated breaches lead to disciplinary action up to termination, recovery of misused funds, and referral to the police or regulators where the conduct is criminal. This applies at every level of the organisation, including the Board.

Review

This policy is reviewed annually by the Board of Directors.

Write to donate@navantara.org or call +91 915 420 3796. Postal queries may be sent to Navantara AI Learning Foundation, Bollileni Bion, Kothaguda, Opposite Botanical Garden, Serilingampally, Kondapur, K.V. Rangareddy - 500084, Telangana.