Ayurvigyan Foundation is a  non-governmental organization (NGO) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government.[2][3][4][5][6] They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in humanitarianism or the social sciences; they can also include clubs and associations that provide services to their members and others. Surveys indicate that NGOs have a high degree of public trust, which can make them a useful proxy for the concerns of society and stakeholders.[7] However, NGOs can also be lobby groups for corporations, such as the World Economic Forum.[8][9][10][11]

The term as it is used today was first introduced in Article 71 of the newly-formed United Nation's Charter in 1945.[12] While there is no fixed or formal definition for what NGOs are, they are generally defined as nonprofit entities that are independent of governmental influence—although they may receive government funding.[12] According to the UN Department of Global Communications, an NGO is "a not-for profit, voluntary citizen’s group that is organized on a local, national or international level to address issues in support of the public good."[5] With that being said, the term NGO is used inconsistently, and is sometimes used synonymously with civil society organization (CSO), which is any association founded by citizens.[13] In some countries, NGOs are known as nonprofit organizations, and political parties and trade unions are sometimes considered NGOs as well.[14]

NGOs are classified by (1) orientation—the type of activities an NGO undertakes, such as activities involving human rights, consumer protection, environmentalism, health, or development; and (2) level of operation, which indicates the scale at which an organization works: local, regional, national, or international.[14]

Russia had about 277,000 NGOs in 2008.[15] India is estimated to have had about 2 million NGOs in 2009 (approximately one per 600 Indians), many more than the number of the country's primary schools and health centers.[16][17]