Run out of a small office in Indiranagar with only a handful of paid employees , a Bangalore-based charitable trust dreams big . It aims to transform the lives of bright young students by focusing on the one surefire way of bootstrapping one's way up the income ladder : higher education in professional fields. 

"Underprivileged students , if given the opportunity to complete their education in engineering and medicine , can change the fortunes of an entire family within years . Effectively , the socioeconomic condition of a family goes up within the space of one generation ," says Sudha Kidao , managing trustee of the Foundation for Excellence India Trust .

Established in Santa Clara , California in 1994 , the Foundation for Excellence (FFE) started life with this very goal : of providing financial support for higher education to bright and needy Indian students . Founded by Silicon Valley entrepreneur Dr Prabhu Goyal and his wife Poonam , who continue to be benefactors , the trust gathered the support of many donors in Silicon Valley . 

In 2003 , the organization set up its India arm, the Foundation for Excellence India Trust , which raises money from Indian donors . "The focus shifted to India mainly because students who had benefited from FFE scholarships had now begun to establish themselves in their chosen fields and wanted to contribute to the fund to enable other younger students ," says Kidao , who got involved with the foundation when she was living in the US , working as a biotechnologist . When she moved back to India with her family in 2007, she took up a more active role in the organization and today heads it.