Grassroot Projects was formed as a result of multiple phone conversations between two friends as we tried to redefine our altruistic purpose in life.
As first-generation immigrants we realize how lucky we were to have had the social and financial support necessary for a successful transition to a new country . Unfortunately, there are many families that are either forced to flee their countries or have had to leave their country to look for opportunities for their families. Children continue to be most vulnerable population affected by such a move, and hence are the focus of our organization. We also extend our services to children who have not moved countries but have a genuine need for help based on their economic status.
We, at Grassroot Projects believe that providing support and investing in our children is crucial in securing a bright future for them. We help any deserving child in need irrespective of their origin, religion, color or creed, so long as they belong to a low income household and we see that there is a genuine need.
Every project we choose has a story attached to it and a promise given to a child that we care and that they are not alone. The needs are plenty and we are trying our best to fulfill as many needs as we can one project at a time!
Grassroot Projects is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organisation registered in the State of Washington and State of Indiana. It was established in May 2017 and continues to work hard to assist underprivileged as well as refugee children living in the US.
As first-generation immigrants we realize how lucky we were to have had the social and financial support necessary for a successful transition to a new country . Unfortunately, there are many families that are either forced to flee their countries or have had to leave their country to look for opportunities for their families. Children continue to be most vulnerable population affected by such a move, and hence are the focus of our organization. We also extend our services to children who have not moved countries but have a genuine need for help based on their economic status.
We, at Grassroot Projects believe that providing support and investing in our children is crucial in securing a bright future for them. We help any deserving child in need irrespective of their origin, religion, color or creed, so long as they belong to a low income household and we see that there is a genuine need.
Every project we choose has a story attached to it and a promise given to a child that we care and that they are not alone. The needs are plenty and we are trying our best to fulfill as many needs as we can one project at a time!
Grassroot Projects is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organisation registered in the State of Washington and State of Indiana. It was established in May 2017 and continues to work hard to assist underprivileged as well as refugee children living in the US.
CO-FOUNDERS
Priya Gangwani
Honorary Board Member/Executive Director (IN) READ BIO
Priya lives in Indianapolis, is a Physical therapist by profession, and moved to the US in 2003 to pursue her Masters from the University of Indianapolis. She was the Action center coordinator at U of I for CRY, a nonprofit benefiting underprivileged children in India. After graduation she has been involved in various fund raising efforts for NGOs such as WFP, CRY and Banyan (serves mentally ill women in India). She moved to Qatar and volunteered with ROTA ( Reach out to Asia) and also provided ESL classes to Korean women at the Korean Embassy in Qatar. Her passion for helping the underserved population led her to enroll in the Natural Helper Program at the Immigrant Welcome center. Her continued efforts to help children led her to establishing Grassroot Projects in 2017 along with her friend Nimisha. |
Nimisha Goyal
Honorary Board Member READ BIO
Nimisha lives in Seattle with her husband and their teenage son and daughter. Nimisha is a Physical therapist by qualification and loves working with the elderly. She graduated from the University of Indianapolis in 2002 and received her doctorate from Massachusetts General Hospital in 2007. She has strongly felt a need toward giving back since her teen years. In high school she was the President of the Environmental club, as well as the Interact club which focused on organizing collection drives for families living in poor socioeconomic conditions. Her passion for helping children continued into adulthood with being a volunteer with the polio eradication program in India. She also continues to volunteer with the PTSA at her children's schools. Priya and Nimisha first met in college in India in the late '90s and have been friends for over two decades. She's glad to be partnering with Priya as a co-founder of this essential organization. |
Board of Directors
Sarah Jo Tharp
President READ BIO
Sarah Tharp has a variety of volunteer experience, ranging from advocacy, to outreach, to serving and chairing a non-profit board of young leaders in the greater Seattle area. Professionally, she is a real estate broker/analyst working in both residential and government properties. Her passion for empowering folks with the support and resources needed through the organizations she serves, and enabling them to focus on things that matter most is the reason she joined Grassroot Projects. “If we can make each other’s journeys a little kinder, why wouldn’t we?” she believes. |
Oudumbar Rajput
Treasurer READ BIO
Oudumbar lives in Indianapolis and is an engineer by profession. He has always felt a need to actively contribute to the community and to serve a larger purpose. He has always been active in community service work, especially in the field of education, since his school days. He moved to the US in 2015 to pursue a Ph.D. program in engineering. While at graduate school, he worked as a Vice President of a collegiate chapter of the Engineering Ambassadors Network, a program to improve STEM literacy in rural schools. He successfully increased the chapter's member strength and attracted new school proposals. He also worked as a mechanical engineering representative at Graduate School Government, solving critical student problems by communicating with higher school management. After receiving his doctorate, he volunteered with GrassRoot Projects for more than a year before deciding to further his commitment by joining the core team. At Grassroot Projects, Oudumbar believes that he can bring meaningful changes in the lives of the immigrant families the organization serves by staying true to the organization’s mission. |
Tasneem Sharma
Board Member READ BIO
Tasneem lives in Carmel, Indiana, and is a scientist by profession. She enjoys volunteering and is actively engaged within her community. She is a Cub Scout den leader, co-chairs events for her local elementary school, and regularly engages in social work outside her professional life. She has a global perspective due to her lived experiences in various regions of the world, her multicultural upbringing, and her personal interactions with people from various religious and racial backgrounds. She actively seeks to mentor, aid, and provide outreach to K-12 kids in her community through her expertise and influence within her professional realm. Engagement with Grassroot Projects: Coming from immigrant parents, she values and understands the important mission of Grassroot Projects. Her commitment is to help every kid through resources, engagement, and outreach activities. She truly believes that today’s kids are tomorrow’s future. |
Brittan Stockert
Board Member |
Fabiha Islam
Board Member READ BIO
Fabiha is a former early childhood educator and is currently working at a non-profit providing support and assistance to the early childhood education community in Central Indiana. She is passionate about uplifting the education community because she believes children will always grow up to do amazing things if teachers always feel amazing! Joining the board is very dear to her heart because both of her parents are immigrants from Bangladesh. They moved to Indiana with little to no support in the 1980s and managed to give her the best life possible. She wants to give back to the families who may not have had the choice but to leave their homes and country behind. She hopes to help these families find peace and clarity as they navigate through the barriers of starting a new life. |
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Priya Gangwani
Honorary Board Member/Executive Director (IN) READ BIO
Priya lives in Indianapolis, is a Physical therapist by profession, and moved to the US in 2003 to pursue her Masters from the University of Indianapolis. She was the Action center coordinator at U of I for CRY, a nonprofit benefiting underprivileged children in India. After graduation she has been involved in various fund raising efforts for NGOs such as WFP, CRY and Banyan (serves mentally ill women in India). She moved to Qatar and volunteered with ROTA ( Reach out to Asia) and also provided ESL classes to Korean women at the Korean Embassy in Qatar. Her passion for helping the underserved population led her to enroll in the Natural Helper Program at the Immigrant Welcome center. Her continued efforts to help children led her to establishing Grassroot Projects in 2017 along with her friend Nimisha. |
Elizabeth Berthe
Executive Director (WA) READ BIO
Elizabeth Berthe is a global professional with a strong track record of launching and scaling social businesses and programs in Latin America, Southeast Asia and the African continent focused on creating positive change for unserved and underserved populations. She holds a Masters in International Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University. With the upcoming changes in the US Administration, Elizabeth is looking forward to ensuring immigrant and refugee youth and their families continue to thrive in our communities and growing Grassroot Projects outreach and capacity to extend services. |
Advisory Council
Becky Miller
READ BIO
Becky retired from a long and successful career as an elementary school educator and believes in the power of public education. She has worked tirelessly on the front lines with many of Washington Township’s ESL learners and loves seeing the spark of achievement once kids begin to grasp language skills and proficiency. Becky is currently an executive board member of the JCC Indianapolis. She is also the proud “Gigi” or grandmother to two adorable grandchildren. |
Olanike Olaniyi
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Karen Friss
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Zarina Mustafazada
READ BIO
Zarina is a mother of 3, and immigrated from Afghanistan with her husband in 2022. She is trained as a nurse and a birth+post partum doula, and is a strong advocate for women's health and well being. Zarina works at Healthpoint, and Ayan Maternity Healthcare to facilitate and coordinate services for refugee and immigrant women. She has been an active volunteer with Grassroot Projects, and represents the large Afghan community we serve. |
Pragya Madan
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Eddie Freeman
READ BIO
Ed is an Indianapolis native and has lived in the city ever since graduating from Indiana University. Ed currently works for David Weekley Homes, the largest privately held single-family home builder in the US, and serves as its Land Acquisition Manager. Ed searches for and negotiates on all of David Weekley Homes new neighborhoods throughout the Indianapolis marketplace. Ed's been in real estate for most of his work life and really enjoys meeting landowners and working out mutually beneficial land transactions with them. Ed is married to Laurie, also an Indianapolis native and currently a psychotherapist practicing on the north side of Indianapolis. Ed and Laurie have two children: Sarah, who is a third-grade elementary/special education teacher in Oak Park, IL (Chicago), and Maxwell, who is the Indianapolis Indians Senior Digital Marketing Manager. Ed loves to play tennis, hike, travel with family, and find new restaurants to dine in during his free time. Ed is looking forward to working as a Grassroot Projects Board Member. |