Baldrige Foundation Award for Leadership Excellence in Nonprofit for Dr. Manu K. Vora

NAPERVILLE, ILLINOIS, April 18, 2026 - 
Recently, The Foundation for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, Inc., Washington, DC honored Dr. Manu K. Vora with a “2026 Baldrige Foundation Award for Leadership Excellence in Nonprofit”. This award recognizes exceptional leadership in the promotion of performance excellence across the United States. Dr. Vora is the Founder, Director, and President of the Blind Foundation for India (BFI), USA since 1989. This is the first time an Indo-American Charity Leader has been recognized with the Nation’s high honor.

Since 1989 under Dr. Vora’s exceptional leadership, BFI has utilized the U. S. Baldrige Excellence Framework as its strategic North Star, integrating its core principles directly into the organization’s DNA. By embedding concepts such as visionary leadership, effective governance, data-driven decision-making, volunteer engagement, and donor centricity into its operational fabric, BFI has successfully navigated over 37 years of dedicated service, impacting the lives of over 15 million visually challenged people across India. The systematic deployment of Baldrige-aligned tools has enabled the foundation to achieve peak operational excellence while ensuring the sustainable growth of its mission to prevent blindness and empower the visually impaired in India. This unwavering focus on performance excellence and donor satisfaction remains the lifeblood of BFI’s enduring legacy.

Since 1989, the BFI Team has raised over $8 million to support 300,000 free Cataract operations, over 3 million (1.5 million children and 1.5 million adults) free eyesight checkups, 151 mobile vans for transport of doctors and patients, and donated 10,000 Braille Kits for blind children’s education. For further information, visit: http://www.blindfoundation.org.

Foundation Awards for Leadership Excellence: Baldrige helps thousands of organizations across the United States and around the world, in all sectors of the economy, pursue performance excellence which, in turn, makes a positive difference in people's lives. The Foundation Awards for Leadership Excellence were established to recognize leaders in Business (Manufacturing, Service, Small Business), Nonprofit, Government, Health Care, Education, Cybersecurity, and Community, who provide exceptional support to Baldrige and the Foundation's mission, helping to sustain Baldrige into the future, and promoting the positive impact of Baldrige on organizational and community success.

Photos : 1) 2026 Leadership Excellence Award Certificate, 2) 2026 Leadership Excellence Award Medal, 3) Dr. Manu Vora