Who Are We?

India Currents Foundation (ICF) is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt non-profit organization that promotes community journalism, civic engagement and heritage arts in the United States. Tax ID: 83-3257703

What is our mission?

India Currents is the voice of the Indian American. Our mission is to tell critical, relevant, and innovative stories to inform and educate our audience, and amplify the achievements of Indian Americans nationwide.  Through responsible reporting and collaborative community activities we also aim to promote civic engagement in the practice of democracy

We aim to chronicle and curate Indian American stories in diverse and fascinating ways for years to come.

What do we do?

Authentic Story-telling: We provide relevant stories told by the Indian American community in their own voices and fill the geographic and topical gaps left by mainstream media companies. 

Over the past three decades we have created a vast reservoir of immigrant experiences which are of great interest to all Americans, new immigrants, educational institutions as well as government organizations.

Community Engagement: We actively build partnerships with ethnic media organizations on projects to amplify important initiatives for community education. We collaborate with cultural organizations to showcase the art and culture of India to all Americans.

Building the Future: We mentor and train the next generation of Indian American journalists through internships and writing opportunities.  

How we do this?

India Currents Foundation is backed by charitable donations from contributors who care about authentic stories, a free press, democratic values and an informed citizenry.

The Foundation works along with India Currents magazine, which has delivered award-winning, trustworthy, stories about the Indian American diaspora for the past 33 years.

Check out our Donor Transparency policy.

Current Funders:

Our Leadership

Vandana Kumar: President & CEO: Vandana Kumar is a publishing executive with a 32-year track record in the industry. As a new immigrant, she  co-founded India Currents magazine in 1987 and published an award-winning print magazine from April 1987 to Dec 2017. Fully digital today, India Currents has the largest following among Indians in the United States.

  • Vandana has won the Asian American Hero award from the County of Santa Clara and the Leadership in Business award from the California Legislature Assembly.
  • Vandana serves on the Friends of PACT Advisory Board. and is President Emeritus, Board of Director of Narika.
  • Vandana is an American Leadership Fellow, Class of XXIV.

The Board

Sandy Close, Board Member: Sandy Close became editor of Pacific News Service in 1974 and was a pioneer in developing youth media. In 1996 she founded New America Media which became the first and largest collaborations of ethnic news organizations. Her work has received several awards, including a MacArthur Foundation “Genius Award” and the 2011 Polk Award for Career Achievement. In 1996, a film she co-produced, Breathing Lessons, won an Academy Award for best short documentary.When NAM closed she started Ethnic Media Services to sustain key projects with ethnic media.

Jayashree Patil, Board member: In 2006 Jayashree Patil founded Nirvana Woman, a magazine addressing Fashion, Lifestyle, and Issues facing South Asian women in America. She currently works as Social Media Evangelist at Digite Inc. She volunteers at Foundation for Excellence on social media strategy. Jayashree Patil has a large following on LinkedIn and Twitter. She looks to support South Asian Media and continue her philanthropic work. When she is not glued to the computer, she is cooking, painting or traveling the world.

Vijay Rajvaidya, Secretary/Treasurer: Vijay Rajvaidya serves as the Managing Director of India Currents Inc. His 30 years of  experience in the technology industry of the Silicon Valley have fueled the vision of growing India Currents into a global enterprise. In his free time, Vijay is a theater actor, a pilot, a mountaineer and a scuba diver.

Jaya Padmanabhan, Board member: Jaya Padmanabhan is a journalist, essayist, and fiction writer. She writes a community column for the San Francisco Examiner and her columns and articles can be found in India Currents, Next Avenue, The Bold Italic/Medium, and Elemental. Previously, she was the editor of India Currents. Jaya has won 20 awards for her editorials and essays since 2014. She is the author of “Transactions of Belonging,” a collection of short stories published in 2014. Jaya is a member of The Writers Grotto (sfgrotto.org).

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