About IAAMJV 


Our Mission

The International Alumni Association of Shri Mahavira Jaina Vidyalaya (IAAMJV-USA) is a US based and was founded in July of 1991 at the time of the JAINA Convention at Stanford, California. It is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization whose primary goal is to promote the cause of Professional Education in the Jain community irrespective of sect.

Specifically, our mission is:
  • Promote the cause of higher education in the Jain community.
  • To promote and disseminate the knowledge, principles and beliefs of Jainism and philosophy of truth and non-violence.
  • To promote, plan and provide forum for communication and seminars to inter-exchange ideas amongst Jains and Non-Jains in the United States of America, India and the world at large.
  • To raise funds to provide educational, cultural, and humanitarian activities within the United States and the world.
  • To help needy and qualified students achieve their goals by providing grants, awards and loan scholarships for educational purpose.
  • To promote, plan and help publishing of Jain Scriptures and books in English.
  • To support educational centers in India and elsewhere.
  • To act as a conduit to transfer funds to the donor-designated, eligible institutes furthering the cause of education.
  • Support Shri Mahavir Jain Vidyalaya and other non-profit institutes promoting the cause of education in the Jain community in India and the US.

We are currently helping our 150+ students every year through 3 different scholarships schemes as described below. They are offered to deserving boys and girls from the Jain community without any sectarian considerations.

  1. For students from India for higher studies (such as MS, MBA, MD, Ph.D.) in the USA. This is known as LSGI-Loan Scholarships for Graduate Studies in USA program
  2. For students from any region of India for a Bachelor’s degree in India, This program is expanded to include the students pursuing Master's and Higher studies in India This is known as LSUI-Loan Scholarships for undergraduate studies in India program
  3. For Graduating High School Seniors from the USA pursuing undergraduate studies in the USA. This program includes the students who are on valid USA visa, pursuing undergraduate studies in the USA. This is known as CEL-College Education Loan Scholarships program
There are various donation schemes for supporting the above programs.

History

The association was started by a few alumni of Shri Mahavira Jaina Vidyalaya at the inception, but as the migration of new students grew over time the need arose for more funds, several SMJV alumni came forward and joined the association to help. Later on, many non-MJV members showed interest in supporting the cause of higher education for bright, needy Jain Students. We wholeheartedly encouraged them to join our noble mission and that is the reason, now we have over 850 + members and we are still growing.

It is worth noting that help to the students is in the form of interest-free loans and not grants. This allows the IAAMJV-USA organization to offer benefits to an increasing number of students every year through recycled funds and new donations. Nearly all of the recipients gladly refund the loans (plus more) accompanied with THANK YOU notes. Today, IAAMJV-USA is probably the only organization of its size, outside of India, that is exclusively devoted to helping the bright and needy Jain students coming to the USA. IAAMJV-USA strongly believes that going forward, the Jain community is going to be as strong as the educational level of its members and these loan scholarships will make a difference in their lives and brighten their future and at large to Indian Community.


Achievements

  • Scholarship stats for the last 30 years (1992-2022)
    • As stated, IAAMJV is awarding interest free loan scholarships to the deserving and needy students towards their financial need for the educational cause. Since the birth of IAAMJV in 1991, so far, more than 3.0 million dollars were disbursed as an interest free loan benefitting more than 1,000 students while studying in USA and India. With the support of all donors and repayment received from the loan recipients, IAAMJV is continuously expanding the loan scholarship programs as need arise to benefit more students including increase in loan amount. For example, the LSGI program was started with loan scholarship of $1,000 to Five (5) students in 1992. Now a loan scholarship of $4,000 is awarded to 60+ students every year. Similarly, under CEP program, loan scholarship amount was increased from $4,000 to $10,000. Under the India Scholarship program, with the support of some donors, a Grant (scholarship) is also awarded instead of Loan to the deserving students.
  • Technological advancement & efficiency
    • The loan Scholarship application portal allows students to apply online. Improved the efficiency of the loan committee to process applications
    • IAAMJV operational efficiency improved with collaboration MS-365 Share point site
    • Accounts online
  • IAAMJV is helping our mother institute, Shri Mahavira Jain Vidyalaya (SMJV)
    • For decades, SMJV was helping the bright and needy Jain boys only; there was nothing for the girls. IAAMJV-USA helped establish the first college hostel for girls in Ahmedabad in 1994 by joining hands with a couple of large donors from India and contributing $50,000 from its account for this important initiative. Because of the success of this hostel, the Vidyalaya management has opened up three more girls’ hostels- at Pune, Vallabh Vidyanagar, and Vadodara and is about to open the fifth one at Surat.
    • Late Dr. Mohan Jain raised $ 268,000 in North America under the umbrella of IAAMJV from his USA friends and relatives in India and fully funded a branch of Mahavira Jaina Vidyalaya in Udaipur in 2001. It was the initiative of IAAMJV that resulted in this college hostel offering help for the first time to the Jain students from the largely Hindi-speaking region of the country.
  • IAAMJV beneficiary for Donor Advisory Fund
    • Dr. Gunvantrai and late Dr. Gunvanti Shah have requested that IAAMJV-USA establish an Endowment Fund to promote higher education among Indian students for further studies in the USA and decided to fund it from their retirement account by designating IAAMJV as its one of the primary beneficiaries. IAAMJV-USA salutes Dr. Gunvantbhai Shah and his wife for their act of kindness and generosity. Their far-sighted past and current donations thru IAAMJV have already made a huge difference in the lives of many bright and needy students.

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