A Philanthropic Bridge for Nepal's Communities
Engage Nepal’s model is simple. We believe lasting change comes from truly connecting with and listening to the communities we serve—people whose hopes and struggles inspire us every day. To do so, we work side by side with respected Nepali non-profits who know those communities, who have earned their trust, and who seek the input of local leaders and the intended beneficiaries so that every project reflects real needs and dreams.
Over the years, we have built a family of nonprofit partners who share our vision of community-driven progress and we are proud to serve as a philanthropic bridge, connecting the global generosity of our donors with the focused, local action of these grassroots organizations across Nepal. Together, we empower the most vulnerable in Nepal so that they may face the future with hope rather than despair. Together, we Engage Nepal.
Our Vision
We listen to the communities we serve. We learn from the communities we serve. We partner with the communities we serve. Because hope matters — in the face of poverty, in the wake of disaster, and in the lives of children and families.We Empower Our Partners To Choose Their Path.
Our Story
December 2015: The Beginning
On his first day of retirement from his 35-year career as a diplomat, Ambassador Scott DeLisi took up the reins of Engage Nepal. The foundation had been created nine months earlier, with an intended focus on disaster risk reduction and preparedness, something that had been a centerpiece of Ambassador DeLisi’s work as President Barack Obama’s Ambassador to Nepal.
The foundation, at the time, had no staff, no agenda, and little in the way of resources. Ambassador DeLisi set out to change all that. He knows Nepal and its people well and he knew that, as important as risk reduction is, he couldn’t ask Nepal’s most vulnerable families to worry about a future disaster when they lived every day on the edge of the precipice created by poverty.
He saw families struggling to put food on the table, to keep their children in school, to find care when illness or disease struck, and to adapt to climate changes that threatened their way of life.
Those issues became the focus of the Engage Nepal mission.
December 2025: Ten Years And Going Strong
More than anything else, Ambassdor DeLisi would tell you today that the Engage Nepal story is not about him. It is about the communities we serve and the partners who engage them, day in and day out. And it is about all the donors whose support over the years has allowed Engage Nepal to support over 100 projects that have changed thousands of lives for the better.
Our commitment is to the children at risk, the women who have been marginalized, and to communities living on the edge of despair due to poverty who must now also contend with climate changes that threaten their way of life.
The communities we support in Nepal aren’t asking for hand outs; just a hand extended in partnership.
And, thanks to the support of our Engage Nepal family of donors, we are able to extend that hand as we work together with our partners to build a future of hope and promise.
We hope you’ll choose to join us. We hope you’ll choose to Engage Nepal.