Seva Foundation

Motto	Compassion in Action
Formation	1978 (1978)
Type	INGO
Purpose	Prevention of blindness.
Headquarters	1786 Fifth Street
Location	Berkeley, California, United States
Region served	Worldwide
Executive Director	Jack Blanks
Website	www.seva.org

Seva Foundation is an American non-profit international health organization based in Berkeley, California known for treating blindness. It was co-founded in 1978 by Dr. Larry Brilliant, Ram Dass, Wavy Gravy, Nicole Grasset and Govindappa Venkataswamy. Steve Jobs served as an early adviser and major contributor.

Seva is best known for its work restoring eyesight to over 3 million blind people suffering from cataract blindness in places like Tibet, Nepal, Cambodia, Bangladesh, and throughout sub-Saharan Africa. The foundation also works on health projects in Native American communities throughout the United States. In 2013, Peter Singer wrote in an op-ed for The Washington Post that, with $7,500, the Seva Foundation could protect one hundred children from losing vision by treating trachoma and other common causes of blindness.

Seva Foundation, based in Berkeley, California, was founded in 1978 by public health expert Larry Brilliant, spiritual leader Ram Dass and humanitarian activist Wavy Gravy. Other notable co-founders include Dr. Govindappa Venkataswamy, founder of the Aravind Eye Foundation, and Nicole Grasset, the senior adviser for the World Health Organization smallpox eradication campaign.Steve Jobs also participated as an adviser at early Seva meetings and provided the first significant cash donation along with an Apple II to enter and analyze eye care survey results in the original Nepal program.