The Dalit Foundation is a registered trust under Indian charity law, and is governed by an honorary Board of Directors which is representative of caste, gender, region and religion in India. The Foundation was established in June 2003 and is the first grant-making agency in South Asia whose mission, vision and programme objectives focus exclusively on social change and justice for Dalit communities. The Foundation supports individuals, small community-based organisations, and networks that work to secure social change and protect the rights of Dalits in South Asia.