Living our values: Expanding the impact of the Wipfli Foundation into India
In May 2025, the Wipfli Foundation will be celebrating its 20th anniversary — and its mission of philanthropy has only gotten bigger in those two decades. The foundation has expanded its mission of giving back to the communities that support us worldwide, including Wipfli’s associates in India.
The Wipfli Foundation was created in 2005, originally with a focus on supporting colleges and universities. Since then, the foundation has been active in funding scholarships, supporting DEI initiatives and assisting with universities’ capital campaigns.
But the foundation was ready to expand beyond academia and beginning in 2021, Wipfli’s role in charitable giving began to grow. Durward Ferland, the Wipfli Foundation’s president and leader of Wipfli’s risk advisory services practice, spoke about the need to expand the scope of the foundation’s charitable efforts:
“Our mission for the foundation is to support those communities in which our associates live and work. And there’s more to those communities than just the universities.”
Supporting our communities
In 2021, the foundation announced a new associate matching program to further its commitment to the community. To launch the community support program in the U.S., it partnered with Groundswell, a charitable platform that enables organizations to empower their associates through direct giving.
“It’s really putting the power of who the Wipfli Foundation supports into the hands of our associates because they know what matters to them the most,” Ferland said.
The Wipfli Foundation frequently gifts funds to associates to help them give to organizations that are meaningful to them and matches individual associate donations up to $500. Today, over 75% of Wipfli associates in the U.S. participate in the program.
Expanding into India
But nearly a quarter of Wipfli’s associates are located in India, particularly in our Bengaluru office. In the past, Wipfli has supported a number of local charities in the area, particularly SSK, a special needs school and resource center in Karnataka. Ferland spent some time at the center and shared the importance of the work SSK is doing for the community:
“Because they don’t have the level of community support and facilities that we have in the U.S., they have a lot of on-site medical facilities. They’re helping to treat the whole child while they’re going to school there. It’s not just developmental needs — they’re taking care of the physical well-being of the children as well.”
Nagaraja Ramanna, a Wipfli associate based in Bengaluru, added, “I have been a longtime supporter of SSK, and I am deeply impressed by their commitment to uplifting those in need by providing rehabilitation services, special education, vocational training and more.”
Speaking more about Wipfli’s expanded charitable efforts in India, he said, “I am very glad that I have the opportunity to work for a firm that is committed to serving the community and is driven to give back.”
But the foundation’s aims for our Indian community didn’t stop with SSK. In coordination with the Charities Aid Foundation and Groundswell, the Wipfli Foundation expanded the community support program from the U.S. to our India-based offices, allowing the growing number of associates there to participate in philanthropic efforts as well.
Community support in India
Cross-border philanthropy is a difficult undertaking, with numerous international tax considerations and overall economic variables. But the decision to expand was, according to Ferland, worth the effort.
“A large percentage of our workforce is located in India. And it’s important that those associates have the same opportunities as our associates in the U.S. to participate in community support and fund the organizations that matter to them,” he said.
Prashant Kheskani, a Wipfli associate based in Ahmedabad, India, gave his impression of the program’s expansion. “Wipfli helps us develop our overall personality, not just professionally but as well-rounded human beings. Through community service initiatives we get to volunteer or raise funds, and we’re able to make a positive change in our community.”
The results have been overwhelming. Within the first six months of the program expansion, they saw a 96% enrollment rate and over 800 individual donations being made to local charities and nonprofits that our associates are passionate about.
Kheskani supports the charity Round Table India, a group focused on expanding educational opportunities for underprivileged children.
“Round Table India has a matching program for every donation received. By making my donation through Wipfli’s community support program, I was able to essentially triple the impact of my gift — Wipfli matched my donation, and Round Table India matched that total donation. That’s a massive impact toward children who may not be able to afford education,” Kheskani said. “The organizations’ efforts in constructing classrooms and providing educational resources to children in need echoes Wipfli’s vision — creating a lasting, positive impact on our communities.”
The direct impact this charitable effort has had on the organization, including the construction of a smart classroom for students in the area, has been inspiring, Kheskani said. “The joy and exhilaration in the eyes of children was radiant, the smiles giving a sense of accomplishment and humility.”
Kheskani added, “It’s the feeling of doing something not only because we could, but because we should. It’s given me a greater sense of belonging at Wipfli. We’ve helped a number of charities in India, and associates get to choose the ones that matter to them. That’s what community is all about: giving where it counts most.”
