Vishnuvardhan started an organisation called SNEHA LOKA to promote harmony and to help people during calamities like floods. He was known for his personal involvement in many charitable causes. He was a brand ambassador for Mysore's Vikram Hospital and took responsibility of the treatment of rural children from humble backgrounds suffering from heart ailments. He conducted a 'padayatra' to collect funds for the flood-affected people in the northern part of the state. Vishnuvardhan and his wife Bharathi have adopted the Melukote town in Mandya district where he have dug borewells in the water-starved temple town. Many of his other charitable donations were revealed only when the beneficiaries came forward and spoke about it. In January 2005 Vishnuvardhan, cricketer Syed Kirmani and Shivram participated in a Cancer Awareness Walkathon organised by Bangalore Institute of Oncology (BIO) to commemorate its 15 years of public service in Bangalore.