Circle of Sisterhood Renews Its Partnership with Sambhali U.S.
By Shreeya Ram with contributions by Carlea Bauman
In 2023, Sambhali U.S. received a $10,000 grant from the Circle of Sisterhood, a foundation of college-educated American women and sorority members dedicated to removing educational barriers for girls and women facing poverty and oppression worldwide. That first grant funded Sambhali Trust’s Abhayasthali Boarding Home for a year, opening the door for young women in Rajasthan, India, to pursue higher education despite steep caste, class, and gender barriers.
Now, the partnership is entering a new chapter. Circle of Sisterhood has awarded Sambhali U.S. a 2026 grant to support the Sambhali’s Empowerment Centers, which serve 270 women and adolescent girls in Rajasthan through literacy and numeracy education, vocational training in sewing and embroidery, and essential wraparound services.
A Personal Awakening Behind a Global Mission
To understand why this partnership matters to Circle of Sisterhood, it helps to understand why the organization exists at all. For founder and executive director Ginny Carroll, the mission didn't start with an organization — it started with a book.
"In 2009, I read a book — Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide — that opened my eyes to the brutalities and oppression experienced by women and girls around the world," Carroll said. "It was one of those rare experiences that fundamentally changes how you see the world. You could say that book smacked my privilege right in the face."
That shift in perspective became a sense of responsibility. As Carroll kept learning, one theme surfaced again and again as the key to unlocking change for women and girls: education.
"If every girl had access to education and every woman were literate, the world would be a fundamentally different place," Carroll said. "Families would be healthier. Economies would be stronger. Communities would be more stable. Women would have greater agency over their own lives. Everyone would benefit."
That conviction became Circle of Sisterhood, which was, "born from the conviction that when we educate girls, we don't just change individual lives," Carroll said. "We change the future."
Why the Circle Keeps Expanding
Much of Circle of Sisterhood's support is powered by college women across the U.S. — a dynamic Carroll sees as core to the organization's name.
"The circle expands because the impact flows in both directions," Carroll explained. "Girls and women in India gain educational opportunities that can change the trajectory of their lives, while American college women gain a deeper understanding of global citizenship, cultural humility, and the barriers that millions of women and girls face around the world."
It's a philosophy captured in the foundation's tagline: "One World. One Sisterhood." As Carroll put it, "Despite differences in geography, culture, or circumstance, we are connected by our common humanity and our belief that every girl deserves the chance to learn and thrive."
A Partnership Built on Trust
Renewing support for Sambhali in 2026 wasn't a difficult call for Carroll and her team — it was the product of three years of consistent, transparent partnership.
"Sambhali U.S. has been a strong steward of Circle of Sisterhood's support since 2023," Carroll said. "Through compelling grant reporting and continued engagement, Sambhali U.S. has maintained a meaningful relationship with our organization and demonstrated both accountability and impact."
The success of the Abhayasthali Boarding Home only deepened that confidence. "Supporting this proven, comprehensive approach to addressing the challenges faced by young women in Rajasthan was an easy decision in 2023, and renewing our support in 2026 through funding for the Empowerment Centers is equally compelling," Carroll said. "Sambhali's commitment to removing barriers to education aligns closely with Circle of Sisterhood's mission."
Image: Kathleen Gerber, Photographers Without BoardersLooking Ahead: The "Ripple Effect"
Carroll pointed to something Circle of Sisterhood's grant review team noticed while evaluating Sambhali's work: impact that reaches well beyond the individual.
"Our grants review team was particularly struck by what we call the 'ripple effect' of the Empowerment Centers and how the skills, opportunities, and confidence gained through their programs are creating change far beyond the individual participant."
That ripple effect starts with literacy, numeracy, and vocational training — but its reach extends to families and entire communities. Carroll also noted that her team was impressed by how the Empowerment Centers continue to evolve based on participants' own expressed needs—calling it evidence of both responsiveness and a deep commitment to long-term impact.
Shereen Arent, president of Sambhali U.S., mirrors the praise. “Circle of Sisterhood is a model for how foundations should operate, with an excellent grant application process, graciousness in providing feedback, and an ongoing enthusiasm for the programs they fund. The organization operates on two important levels, changing lives both through their grants and through educating and engaging college women throughout the U.S., adding to their ripple effect.”
As this partnership enters its next chapter, its reach extends across continents — a living expression of the philosophy at the heart of Circle of Sisterhood's work: one world, one sisterhood.