Founded by Jerome D'Souza, in Pune, it was shifted to New Delhi in 1963 where it is located at the Lodi Institutional Area.

Started soon after the independence of India it was meant to help Indian Christians in general, and Jesuits in particular, to enter more actively into the issues of the common socio-economic national welfare.

Concurrently several regional training centres were established in various parts of the country, the Xavier Institute in Ranchi, Loyola School of Social Work in Madras (now Chennai), and another one in Trivandrum, (Kerala).

[citation needed] The Indian Institute of Social Order was transferred to New Delhi in 1963, under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Moyersoen (1900–1969).

[citation needed] The FCRA license of the institute was revoked in the backdrop of having criticized certain policies of the Central Government.