Hyderabad/Mumbai, Nov 12: In a significant milestone for Hyderabad’s social sector and India’s emerging social finance ecosystem, Grace Cancer Foundation, a Hyderabad-based charitable trust established in 2013 by surgical oncologist Dr. Chinnababu Sunkavalli today marked its Social Stock Exchange milestone with a ceremonial Bell Ringing at the National Stock Exchange (NSE) headquarters in Mumbai. The Advisor to the Issue is EQUIPPP.

The official project listing and bell-ringing ceremony at the National Stock Exchange Social Stock Exchange (NSE-SSE) and marks the 18th one of the exchange. Mr. Shailesh Pathak, Senior Advisor at National Stock Exchange of India and Mr. Lakshmi Narayana, Sai Kiran from EQUIPPP among others graced the bill ringing ceremony

 The ceremony celebrates the listing of their oversubscribed ₹1 Crore Zero Coupon Zero Principal (ZCZP) issue aimed at funding rural cancer screenings.GCF pledged support to collaborate with EQUIPPP's Constituency Development Framework and take up the projects in Kodangal and Manthani pilots

"Inside the operation theatre, as a surgeon, I can operate on only one patient at a time. But outside the operation theatre, through preventive healthcare, early detection and large-scale screening programmes, I can reach millions of people and help prevent them from ever having to enter an operation theatre. That is where I believe my impact as a doctor can be multiplied many times over” said Dr Chinnababu Sunkavalli, Founder of Grace Cancer Foundation.

" If you can raise ₹1 crore to screen people in just two Assembly constituencies, why can't you raise ₹1 crore every month across Telangana? With 119 Assembly constituencies, the state offers tremendous potential for mobilising resources for cancer screening and preventive healthcare. We need to look at the Social Stock Exchange as an opportunity to scale up social impact across the state," said Mr. Shailesh Pathak.

The Hyderabad-based non-profit, founded by surgical oncologist Dr. Chinnababu Sunkavalli, launched a ₹1 Crore ZCZP issue that opened from October 7 to October 9, 2026. The issue closed with over 100% subscription.

Funds raised through this SSE listing directly support early detection and 10,000 cancer screenings for underserved communities across North Telangana.

The listing was facilitated with advisory and impact-assessment support from EQUIPPP, with retail donations accepted through platforms like Zerodha and ICICI Direct starting at ₹1,000.

The ceremony, titled “Celebrating a Milestone in Social Impact”, marks an important step in the Foundation’s journey towards institutionalising social fundraising and mobilising public contributions through India’s regulated Social Stock Exchange (SSE).

Unlike conventional stock market listings, where companies raise equity capital from investors, the Social Stock Exchange provides eligible non-profit organisations with a regulated platform to raise funds for social development. Grace Cancer Foundation is undertaking a public issue of Zero Coupon Zero Principal (ZCZP) instruments aggregating up to ₹1 crore through the NSE Social Stock Exchange.

According to its Fund-Raising Document dated September 30, 2026, each instrument has a face value of ₹10, with a minimum application size of ₹1,000. The minimum subscription requirement for the issue is 75 per cent of the issue size, amounting to ₹75 lakh.

ZCZP instruments are particularly interesting because they do not carry interest or repayment of principal. Contributions mobilised through this route are directed towards the stated social objectives, with the organisation required to comply with prescribed disclosure, governance and impact-reporting requirements.

Founded in 2013, Grace Cancer Foundation has been working in cancer awareness, early detection, screening, treatment support, rehabilitation and research. Founded by an oncologist, the organisation has undertaken public health initiatives and cancer awareness and screening programmes across multiple regions in India.

Its proposed entry into the Social Stock Exchange represents a shift from conventional philanthropic funding towards a more structured and transparent model of social finance.

The Foundation’s SSE registration number is NSESSENP000165. Its Fund-Raising Document identifies it as a public charitable trust registered in Hyderabad, with registrations under applicable provisions of the Income Tax Act and the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act.

India’s Social Stock Exchange is emerging as an alternative fundraising channel for non-profit organisations seeking to access a wider pool of socially conscious donors and impact contributors.

For NGOs, the platform offers an opportunity to demonstrate institutional credibility through disclosures, governance standards, financial accountability and measurable social outcomes. For contributors, it provides greater transparency about the organisations they support and the utilisation of funds.

The development is particularly relevant at a time when India’s CSR ecosystem is expanding and corporates, philanthropists and individuals are increasingly looking for credible organisations capable of demonstrating measurable social impact.

Grace Cancer Foundation, under the leadership of Dr. Chinnababu Sunkavalli, is also looking at expanding its preventive healthcare initiatives. Its future roadmap includes a Centre of Excellence for Preventive Oncology, AI-enabled mobile cancer screening units, expansion of cancer and non-communicable disease screening programmes, digital health platforms for rural communities and research collaborations in preventive oncology.

The Foundation’s proposed Preventive Health Mission aims to strengthen early detection and make screening services accessible to underserved communities.

The NSE Bell Ringing Ceremony is expected to provide visibility to the growing role of non-profit organisations in India’s capital markets. It also highlights how social enterprises and charitable institutions can adopt more formal financial and governance structures to mobilise resources for public welfare.

For Grace Cancer Foundation, the occasion represents more than a ceremonial milestone. It marks an effort to bring healthcare philanthropy, institutional accountability and public participation together in the fight against cancer.