Candid arrives in India with its ‘Philanthropy in India’ portal

By Prashant Sharma - February 24 2021

Candid’s ‘Philanthropy in India’ website features extensive funding data and resources to support development in India

New Delhi, February 24, 2021: Candid, in partnership with the Centre for Social Impact and Philanthropy (CSIP) of Ashoka University, has launched ‘Philanthropy in India’, a one-of-its-kind website that provides the most comprehensive information available on Indian philanthropy. For the first time, funding data to support India’s social sector is made publicly available, with a free-of-cost complete access to the information.

India is home to one of the fastest-growing social sectors in the world. Yet, despite its growth in recent years, the overall size, contribution, and impact of philanthropic activity in India remains mostly unknown. Candid’s Philanthropy in India website aims to address this void. The website includes a dashboard that gives a high-level snapshot of how funding flows; a funding map that shows in-depth data; reports, insights, and other resources that highlight philanthropic work in India.

Bradford Smith, President at Candid, says, “The philanthropy sector in India is experiencing substantial growth. This website supports the robust philanthropic work that’s already occurring in the country. It will help people and organizations make informed decisions and efficiently work together to promote the causes that matter most to the Indian philanthropic community.”

The portal will enable ways to maximize philanthropy in India. Funders both within and outside India can use Philanthropy in India to find other funding organizations supporting the causes they care about and learn about their work to make a change or collaborate. Analyzing trends and identifying funding gaps for an informed development of program strategies, will be another big advantage, by making knowledge produced from the field easily accessible.

Ingrid Srinath, Director at the Centre for Social Impact and Philanthropy (CSIP), says, “The lack of reliable data on philanthropy hampers decision-making and prevents the effective allocation of scarce resources. CSIP is pleased to support this pioneering effort by Candid to fill this gap.”

From 2015 through 2018, Candid has identified 155,192 grants serving India totaling about $10.7 billion and tracked 11,004 grants in bi/multilateral aid totaling $14.1 billion.

Key findings, based on the available data, include:

Corporate donors, overwhelmingly based in India, funded the majority of grants.
The top foundation funders who are supporting programs in India are based outside India.
Private donors invested most heavily in:

Health causes (30 percent of grant totals)
Education (21 percent)
Community and economic development (20 percent)

More than 70 percent of bi/multilateral aid was designated for the community and economic development subject area.

Zohra Zori, Vice President of networks at Candid, says, “There is still much more to learn about philanthropy in India, and funders can help. When funders share their grants data with Candid, it helps them elevate their work, creates a fuller picture of the social sector, and ultimately, better supports Indian philanthropy. We invite all funders to submit their grants data.”

Visit Philanthropy in India at india.candid.org. Funders can share their grants data here.

About Candid

Every year, millions of nonprofits spend trillions of dollars around the world. Candid finds out where that money comes from, where it goes, and why it matters. Through research, collaboration, and training, Candid connects people who want to change the world to the resources they need to do it. Candid’s data tools on nonprofits, foundations, and grants are the most comprehensive in the world. Foundation Center and GuideStar joined forces to become Candid, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Find out more at candid.org and on Twitter @CandidDotOrg.

About Centre for Social Impact and Philanthropy

The Centre for Social Impact and Philanthropy at Ashoka University is India's first academic center enabling strategic philanthropy and social impact through data, dialogue and leadership. The center provides funders and social impact organizations evidence-based insights and knowledge products on India's giving ecosystem, convenes platforms for norm-setting and collaborative learning, and offer programs that capacitate civil society capability and sustainability. Find out more at csip.ashoka.edu.in and on Twitter @AshokaCSIP.