USIPI Annual Impact Report 2025

Advancing Equity Through Research, Justice, and Digital Inclusion

In 2025, the US-India Policy Institute (USIPI) continued its commitment to advancing equity, dignity, and opportunity for India’s marginalized communities through rigorous research, grounded partnerships, and policy engagement.

Our newly released Annual Impact Report 2025 offers a comprehensive overview of the work made possible by the support of our donors, partners, and advisors. It reflects a year of sustained effort at the intersection of evidence-based policy, access to justice, digital inclusion, and youth mentorship.

👉 Read the full report here:
USIPI Annual Impact Report 2025 – Full PDF

Key Highlights from 2025

Rethinking Affirmative Action for Muslims in India

One of USIPI’s major contributions this year was the publication of Rethinking Affirmative Action for Muslims in Contemporary India, authored by leading scholars Hilal Ahmed, Sanjeer Alam, and Nazima Parveen.

Widely regarded as the most comprehensive, data-driven assessment of Muslim inclusion in nearly two decades, the study moves beyond welfare-based approaches and proposes a forward-looking framework grounded in spatial and sectoral targeting, data reform, and institutional accountability. The report has sparked national and international discussion, informed policy conversations in multiple states, and re-centered the idea of inclusion as a constitutional right rather than charity.

Legal Aid & Justice Access (CLES Partnership)

USIPI deepened its legal empowerment work through its partnership with the Centre for Law, Economics and Society (CLES) and CDPP. In 2025, this initiative focused on addressing structural barriers faced by undertrial prisoners—many from marginalized communities—through a combination of direct legal support and evidence building.

Key outcomes include:

  • Support extended to 160 undertrial prisoners

  • Development of 36 anonymized case studies

  • An 8-state analysis of e-courts data to understand judicial delays and prolonged detention

  • Public-facing explainers and webinars to make complex legal developments accessible to communities and the diaspora

This work underscores USIPI’s belief that justice reform must be informed by both lived experience and credible data.

Digital Inclusion & Community Access

In collaboration with the Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF), USIPI continued supporting digital access initiatives aimed at bridging information and service gaps in underserved regions. Through digital community information centers and groundwork for expanded programming, this partnership lays the foundation for improved access to education, public services, and civic participation.

CAMP: Community Advocacy & Mentorship

2025 also marked a strategic reset for CAMP, USIPI’s youth-focused mentorship initiative connecting young women in underserved Indian communities with mentors in the United States. Building on earlier cohorts that reached more than 40 young women across multiple states, USIPI used this year to refine program design, strengthen partnerships, and prepare for a more structured relaunch.

Looking Ahead

The Impact Report also outlines USIPI’s priorities for 2026, including:

  • Follow-on research and convenings on affirmative action

  • Expansion of the legal aid and justice access project

  • Deeper collaboration on digital inclusion

  • A full relaunch of CAMP

  • Strengthening institutional systems and long-term sustainability

Read the Full Report

The USIPI Annual Impact Report 2025 is our way of being accountable to our supporters—sharing not only what was achieved, but how research, policy, and community engagement come together to create meaningful change.

📄 Access the full report here:
USIPI Annual Impact Report 2025 – Full PDF

If you would like to discuss any of the work highlighted in the report or explore opportunities to support future initiatives, we welcome you to connect with us.