Appeal for Contribution to Chautari Endowment Fund

Dear friends and well-wishers,

For almost three decades Martin Chautari has been involved in discussions and research that have endeavored to strengthen Nepal’s public sphere and deliberative democracy. Its discussion series, research, reference library, journals and academic publications have augmented the research infrastructure of Nepal and contributed to the mentoring of young researchers. Apart from discussions held every Sunday and Tuesday, conferences, seminars and workshops that aim to bring the academic community into dialogue are also among Chautari’s activities.

Martin Chautari today is a highly respected research institution in Nepal. Till date MC has published 112 books. MC is also the editorial home of the journals Samaj Adhyayan [formerly Media Adhyayan, established in 2006], and Studies in Nepali History and Society [SINHAS, published by Mandala Book Point since 1996]. Since 2006, MC has opened its research library to the public. Its library holds more than 25,000 books and an extensive archive of popular print media published over the last 30 years. These collections are extensively consulted by both Nepali and non-Nepali individuals.

So far Martin Chautari has been carrying out its research activities through funding from donor agencies active in Nepal and philanthropic foundations based abroad. Neither the Nepali state nor the private sector has expressed interest in robustly supporting independent academic institutions in the country. As of late, funding from international agencies is becoming more difficult to access. This is placing a lot of pressure on Martin Chautari to continue to carry out its research activities and maintaining its library and publication program.  

One of the ways we might be able to sustain the organization financially in these hard times is by creating an Endowment Fund which can be used specifically to finance the core activities of Martin Chautari. We are presently approaching friends and well-wishers and hope to collect a sum of Rs. 50,000,000 (In words: Fifty million rupees) for that fund by the end of 2025. Since it requires the collaboration of more than one individual or institution to create such an endowment, we appeal for public contributions to this fund.

We believe that your donation will be of immense value to sustain MC’s activities in the long run. It will also contribute to the fostering of a critical public space as well as the democratization of knowledge production in Nepal. It will also help in the promotion of the overall academic infrastructure in the country.

To donate to the Endowment Fund from inside Nepal you could either visit us in person at our office address given below or donate through our bank account or e-Sewa account. The details of these accounts are given below. If the donation is from abroad, please use the "Donate now" link given below. For those who are in the US, the donation can also be routed through "Focus For Cause" which is registered as a 501(C)(3) organization in the US (hence your donation is tax-deductible). Please visit this link (http://fundforcause.org/causes/) to access their dedicated page for MC.

Once you contribute to these accounts, please contact us by phone or email so that we can properly record your contribution. Every contribution will be acknowledged and the names of donors will be published in our website with their consent.