It is indeed rare for a celebrity to manage her time amidst all the erratic travel and concert schedules to be fully updated on issues of neglect and social ills. Even as she was ascending in her musical career and expanding her reach, she never wasted a moment nor hesitated even for a second to lending her helping hand.

2021 - Vidiyal - This project by the International Foundation for Crime Prevention and Victim Care (PCVC) provides physical and psychosocial support to the burn survivors of domestic violence, who are majorly from surrounding districts of Chennai. PCVC provides material support like required food and nutrition, clean consumables like bedsheets, gowns etc to prevent women from catching further infection in the hospital. This is also the time when PCVC starts building a rapport with women and helps them understand the importance of psychosocial healing and physiotherapy. After the women are discharged from the hospital, it supports women to move to its Rehabilitation centre based in Chennai. At the rehab centre, through a comprehensive approach of physical and psychosocial care the organisation helps women build their self esteem, realise their worth and potential and chose a life of dignity and respect. In a year approximately 150 -200 women access the rehab centre and in hospital support is provided by PCVC to around 500 women burn survivors. Samudhaaya Foundation has donated Rs. 1,58,250/- towards medicare expenses for a month.

2020 - Vasthraabharanam: This project was launched on Valentine’s Day of 2020 with love. Sudha Ragunathan has handpicked some of her gently used saris and made them available for a donation. A part of the proceeds were given to Street Vision. This institution has been founded by a woman, Seetha Devi, who was a street child herself and who spent her childhood by the platforms near the Central Railway Station at Chennai. The shelter’s first set of inmates were children found in the Marina beach at Chennai, who were drugged, beaten and forced to beg every day at the beach. Over the years she identified street children from different areas in the city who have been begging, stealing and getting manhandled by the public. These children are all brought into the shelter, provided food and accommodation, put through counselling and then enrolled into the local government schools. An amount of 61,000/- was given during the lockdown, for one month's ration for the 53 children.

2020 - Kalaiselvi Karunalaya - This shelter houses girl children who are from broken homes, single parents, unwed mothers and those whose parent/s are in prison. They are sent to school and given counselling to make them ready for the world outside. It also shelters abandoned elders. Samudhaaya Foundation made a donation of R. 50,000/-towards purchase of a washing machine and water purifier.

2018 - Eco Kitchen's initiative "Kathir" is an innovative micro-entrepreneurship opportunity for disadvantaged women and their families to realize their socioeconomic potential. Victims of domestic violence, and other financially and socially vulnerable women receive support to establish a food retail business using a cart. KATHIR provides these women with a choice – one that is uplifting economically and socially. Samudhaaya Foundation has donated Rs. 3,50,000/- (Rs. Three lakhs and fifty thousand only) for the upliftment of 10 woman at a cost of Rs. 35,000/- per cart.

2017 - Bal Va Mahila Chetna Samiti - Another one that distressed her was the violence on the female population in the far away town of Bhilwara in Rajasthan. She issued a donor cheque of Rs. 2,00,000/- (Rupees two lakhs) to Bal Va Mahila Chetna Samiti (Child and Women Welfare Committee) in Rajasthan for the welfare of the women.

2010 – Tulir: Tulir, in Tamil, means the first leaves following a period of adversity - symbolizing beginnings, resilience and resurgence of life. Sudha gave a donation of Rs. 5,00,000/- (Rupees five lakhs) to provide monetary assistance to support child survivors of sexual abuse through psycho-social and legal services. She has been a spokesperson for this cause and flagged off the rally on 15 November, 2009, an activity as part of creating a wider awareness around the World Day for Prevention of Child Abuse.

2017 - Muscular Dystrophy Association: Muscular dystrophy is a group of disorders characterized by a progressive loss of muscle mass and consequent loss of strength. The Chennai Chapter of the Muscular Dystrophy Association of India takes care of about 200 socio - economically weaker children. They work in the areas of offering psychological support to patients and parents, dissemination of information on the disease, promoting interaction and communication amongst doctors, patients, parents and scientists. Sudha donated Rs. 12,00,000/- (Rupees twelve lakhs) to the Chennai Chapter for providing wheel chairs and bipap ventilators.

2014 - Sukrithi Social Foundation: A donation of Rs. 6,50,000/- (Rupees six lakhs and fifty thousand) was handed over for mobility aids such as walkers, prosthetic limbs, and crutches for differently abled persons.

2011 – Joy of Giving: Under the aegis of Joy of Giving (now known as the Daan Utsav), India’s ‘festival of giving’ celebrated every year between 2 and 8 October, commencing on Gandhi Jayanti, Sudha has reached out to people from different walks of life through her music. Carnatic music is deemed complex and for the cognoscenti, and because of this assumption, lay men and people with no background in music do not seem to get the right exposure to it. Sudha recognized this and sang freely at Senior Citizen’s homes, Government Schools and Government prisons, so that more people a have access to this genre of music and appreciate its beauty. It is seen to be believed – the impact that her music has created by reaching out to this strata of society. Music heals and is the therapy for wounded souls, music is the entry into the beautiful world of art in the eyes of the children!

2010 - Dean Foundation: If children were her focused attention for philanthropic support, the elders too touched the core of her heart. She felt that the dignity of senior citizens under all circumstances and stages in their life needs to be protected. In 2010 she presented a donor cheque of Rs. 5,00,000/- (Rupees five lakhs) to the Dean Foundation who were engaged in palliative care for under- privileged senior citizens

2014 – Cancare Foundation – Having always been moved by patients diagnosed with cancer, in yet another act of charity she donated Rs. 1,00,00,000/- (Rupees one crore) to the Cancare Foundation for attending to the well-being of terminally ill patients and their loved ones.

2011 – Ramachandra Medical College Hospital: - There was tremendous support and goodwill expressed towards Samudhaaya Foundation during 2011, so much so that Sudha was able to reach out to lovers of her music and raise an amount of Rs. 20,00,000/- (Rupees twenty lakhs) to support the department of paediatric oncology at Ramachandra Medical hospital for treatment of the under-privileged children.

2008 - Sri Ramachandra Medical College Hospital: Realizing that the higher purpose was in ensuring that the needs of children were met, she put forth all of her efforts and with donation from her own funds, along with canvassing, she presented a donor cheque of Rs. 25,00,000/- (Rupees twenty-five lakhs) to Sri Ramachandra Medical College Hospital for attending to needy children diagnosed with heart related ailments. By enabling heart surgeries for 100 children in poverty, Sudha was able to provide them with a new lease of life.

2001 – Adyar Cancer Institute : Globally, millions suffer from the much dreaded disease of cancer and in India, for the under privileged, there is a dearth in the medical facilities and special care available to them. Sudha Ragunathan, who has always felt that the society must usher hope and cheer and support cancer patients, reached out with a helping hand through the iconic doctor and healer V. Shantha. This contribution of Rs. 10,00,000/- (Rupees ten lakhs) was used for paediatric oncology care.

2010 – Organ Donation: The occasion was Padma Bhushan awardee Dr. M.L.Vasanthakumari’s 20th death anniversary. Sudha, who launched her Samudhaaya Foundation to give back to society, of whom she is an abundant beneficiary, wanted to do something special and unique, remembering Amma in thanksgiving for all that she meant to her. Says Sudha, “On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of my Guru Padmabhushan Dr.M L Vasanthakumari, what greater ‘dhaanam’ can I think of than organ donation? Through Samudhaaya Foundation, I pledge to work towards bringing awareness to this honorable cause. To initiate this, my family and friends also pledge along with me.” There were 20 registrations on a single day.

With her music and by remembering her Guru and mentor through the act of fostering organ donation, Sudha wishes to propagate the message of dignity and charity even in death.

2003 – 2005: Amidst her rising popularity and hectic concert schedules, Sudha was quietly but consistently mobilizing resources to donate to more charitable causes. She presented cash awards in memory of her Guru Dr. M.L Vasanthakumari and also supported various other important causes such as the distribution of hearing aids to deaf children

Gestures to those afflicted by calamities:

2011 – Thane Cyclone: Whenever nature strikes ruthlessly, the Government is challenged to gear up and provide quick relief to the many people who are affected. Other voluntary organizations have to chip in immediately, since both physical work and fiscal support is urgently needed. When Tamilnadu and its environs were ravaged by the cyclone Thane, Sudha once again contributed Rs. 5,00,000/- (Rupees five lakhs) to the Chief Minister’s Cyclone Relief Fund.

1999 – Kargil Defence Personnel: Her first step through her Samudhaaya Foundation was for the soldiers of her motherland - one that has given her the fulfilment of her vision beginning on a patriotic note. A donation of Rs. 5,00,000/- (Rupees five lakhs) was handed over to the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Shri M Karunanidhi, towards the Kargil Defence Personnel Relief Fund.