Mission

We enable household water security at population scale through technology, government and ecosystem partnerships, community-led approaches and digital public infrastructure.

Knowledge

We seek to understand before we act, grounding decisions in evidence, field experience and shared knowledge that strengthens the ecosystem.

Action

We turn insight into impact by transforming good ideas into solutions that strengthen systems and empower people.

Care

We work with empathy and respect for communities, partners, and the ecosystems that sustain us.

From Giving To Governance

"What works at scale may be different from scaling what works. Pilots often succeed while scale-up often fails when the context changes."

- Rohini Nilekani, Founder, Arghyam.

Our Story

Arghyam, which means “offering” in Sanskrit, was founded in 2001 by Rohini Nilekani as a commitment to public purpose. Over the first five years, we evolved to focus on water and sanitation as a long-term national priority.

What began as support for grassroots water initiatives deepened into a sustained effort to understand why water systems fail, who sustains them and how they endure. Over time, our work expanded from individual projects to strengthening the institutions and networks that shape water governance. Today, we bring together governments, researchers, practitioners, and communities to ensure that science, data, and lived experience inform the design of resilient water systems.