Lighthouse Communities Foundation to list on BSE Social Stock Exchange; issue closes Oct 14

Lighthouse Communities Foundation (LCF), a non-profit focused on helping underserved youth build livelihoods, is set to list on the Bombay Stock Exchange’s Social Stock Exchange (SSE). Its public issue opened on September 30 and will close on October 14, 2026.

The issue will raise funds through Zero Coupon Zero Principal (ZCZP) instruments to expand Lighthouse’s programme in Pune. The SSE is a Sebi-regulated platform for eligible non-profits. ZCZP instruments are securities issued by not-for-profit organisations (NPOs) on the SSE that offer no financial return or repayment of principal, serving as a regulated route for philanthropic funding.

The listing will help expand LCF’s public-private partnership model, which operates across six states and has enabled more than 50,000 underserved youth to access sustained livelihood opportunities.

Proceeds to support Lighthouse’s Pune programme

“India’s demographic dividend can only be realised if young people are equipped not just with skills, but with the confidence, guidance, and opportunities to make informed livelihood choices. The Social Stock Exchange listing strengthens our ability to build that ecosystem while holding ourselves to the highest standards of transparency and accountability,” said Dr. Ganesh Natarajan, founder and chairman, LCF.

“The listing is not a fundraising event. It is a transparency commitment, an invitation to institutional donors, impact investors, and CSR partners to examine exactly what we do, how we do it, and what it produces,” he added.

Proceeds from the ZCZP instruments will support the expansion of Lighthouse’s programmes in Pune, including career counselling, skilling, employer partnerships and long-term livelihood tracking.

Since 2015, LCF has positively impacted more than 2.8 lakh young people through its programmes across six states in India.

The listing follows the Ministry of Corporate Affairs’ amendment to India’s CSR rules on May 27, 2026, allowing companies to fulfil their CSR obligations through subscriptions to ZCZP instruments issued by SSE-listed non-profits.

LCF expands youth skilling across six states

For the past decade, LCF has worked with young people from underserved communities, providing career guidance and skills to help them make informed livelihood choices. Its programme offers 80 vocational courses through more than 100 partner organisations across sectors including manufacturing, BFSI, fashion design, fitness and nutrition, beautician certification, electrician training, accounting and hospitality.

LCF operates through a public-private partnership model, with state and local governments providing infrastructure and corporate partners funding operations. It currently operates 51 centres across Delhi, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh.

Women account for nearly 60% of programme enrolments, while 77% of placed youth remain employed a year after placement. Two-thirds of graduates also find their own job leads after completing the programme.

India has 367 million young people aged 15 to 29, according to the State of Working India 2026, while the Economic Survey 2025-26 found that 91.94% of adolescents aged 14 to 18 had no exposure to skilling.