More than 200 philanthropists, family principals, sector leaders, and changemakers came together at India Philanthropy Forum London 2026 for a day of dialogue, reflection, and exchange on the future of philanthropy in India and beyond.
Rooted in this year's theme, Bridges Beyond Borders: Fueling the Power of Collective Action, the Forum recognized that today's social challenges require deeper collaboration across sectors, communities, and geographies. Across conversations on evidence-led giving, entrepreneurial philanthropy, climate action, LGBTQIA+ inclusion, grassroots leadership, family philanthropy, and values-driven giving, a common thread emerged: meaningful progress depends on connecting capital, knowledge, and networks in ways that strengthen collective action and unlock long-term impact.
GivingPi Members featured prominently across the program, bringing perspectives that reflected both the diversity of the community and the evolving nature of philanthropy itself. From Dr. Nitya Mohan Khemka's opening call to move beyond intention toward collective action and Rishi Khosla's advocacy for entrepreneurial thinking in philanthropy, to GivingPi Founders Circle Member Tara Singh Vachani and GivingPi Members Uday Khemka and Meheen Rangoonwala's reflections on values, purpose, and legacy as enduring foundations for giving, the conversations reinforced that philanthropy is most powerful when it combines conviction with collaboration, innovation, and long-term commitment. Moderating a discussion on LGBTQIA+ inclusion, GivingPi Member Radhika Piramal further emphasized the importance of centering lived experience in building more inclusive systems, while Co-Chair Sonal Sachdev Patel closed the Forum by challenging participants to question long-held assumptions and translate reflection into action.
The discussions also examined how stronger evidence can guide philanthropic decision-making, how narratives can support a climate-just transition, and how funders can better strengthen grassroots organizations and nonprofit leaders working closest to communities. Together, the Forum reaffirmed that philanthropy's greatest contribution lies not only in the capital it deploys, but in its ability to convene diverse voices, build trust, and catalyze collective action across borders.
A special thank you to the Forum's Co-Chairs—GivingPi Members Dr. Nitya Mohan Khemka, Sonal Sachdev Patel, and Meheen Rangoonwala, for their leadership and vision in bringing IPF London 2026 to life.
As India’s development story continues to attract the attention and commitment of the global Indian diaspora, creating pathways for informed and impactful giving has become increasingly important. Last month, GivingPi Founders Circle Member Rashi Mehta hosted an intimate, closed-door gathering in partnership with Goldman Sachs, bringing together members of both communities for an evening of reflection, learning, and dialogue on diaspora philanthropy.
Anchored around the theme ‘Rooted in India: A Conversation on Giving’, the convening featured Sonjoy Chatterjee, Head of Goldman Sachs India, who shared perspectives on the evolving needs and opportunities within India’s social sector. Drawing from her own philanthropic journey, Rashi reflected on the values that shape her giving and spoke about the importance of cultivating a culture of philanthropy across generations, including her aspiration to engage her daughter in the ecosystem from a young age. The discussion was enriched by the participation of GivingPi Members Deepak Chopra, Srividya Prakash, and Jimita and Hiren Parekh.
The conversation explored both the opportunities and complexities of giving to India, surfacing practical questions around philanthropic pathways, available tools and structures, and the broader ecosystem required to support effective cross-border engagement. Participants also reflected on the need for stronger philanthropic infrastructure to help channel intent into sustained and meaningful impact.
The convening underscored the important role that diaspora communities can play in advancing India’s development priorities, not only through capital, but through long-term commitment, networks, and shared learning. It also reflected GivingPi’s ongoing commitment to creating trusted spaces where philanthropists can exchange perspectives, deepen their understanding of the sector, and explore new avenues for impactful giving.
Grateful to Rashi Mehta and Goldman Sachs for creating a thoughtful space for reflection, learning, and meaningful connection.
What will it take to build a stronger ecosystem for disability inclusion in India? This question brought together more than 50 civil society organizations, philanthropies, researchers, and ecosystem leaders at a convening co-curated by Pacta and Dasra in Delhi last month.
The discussion drew on insights from two recent studies examining disability inclusion through complementary lenses. Pacta's ‘The Landscape of Funding for Disability in India’, supported by GivingPi Member Sudhir Shenoy, explored the realities of funding disability-focused organizations and the factors that shape trust and investment within the sector. Dasra's ‘From Promise to Practice: A Landscape Report on Disability Inclusion and Civil Society Action in India’, supported by HSBC, examined the broader disability ecosystem, highlighting the persistent gap between policy commitments and lived realities for persons with disabilities.
Sudhir, who funded the Pacta study and helped facilitate the collaboration between Pacta and Dasra, also contributed to the discussion as a speaker. Together, the reports painted a picture of a sector that is experienced and adaptive, yet constrained by fragmented funding, underinvestment in field-building functions, and the complexity of addressing needs that cut across education, livelihoods, healthcare, accessibility, and social participation.
Through a series of discussions and an interactive data walk, participants reflected on how philanthropy, civil society, and other ecosystem actors can strengthen organizational resilience, support long-term systems change, and create the conditions necessary for more meaningful inclusion. The convening reinforced a shared recognition that advancing disability inclusion will require not only greater resources, but more strategic collaboration, stronger institutions, and sustained investment in the ecosystem.
For many women, limited access to education can have lasting consequences, affecting not only literacy, but also confidence, decision-making, financial independence, and participation in community life. These barriers often persist across generations, particularly for women who did not have the opportunity to continue their education earlier in life.
GivingPi Founders Circle Member and Founder of the Iron Lady Foundation, Rashi Mehta, is addressing this challenge through the Foundation's Women Learning Program, delivered in partnership with Seva Mandir. The initiative brings together women across age groups, including senior women, creating accessible opportunities to build literacy, develop new skills, and continue learning within a supportive community environment.
Beyond educational outcomes, the program focuses on strengthening confidence, agency, and self-reliance. By creating spaces where women can learn, engage, and grow together, it is helping expand participation within families and communities while opening pathways to greater independence. Through its partnership with Seva Mandir, the Foundation is advancing a shared vision of lifelong learning, demonstrating that investing in women’s education at any stage of life can create meaningful and lasting change. To learn more, click here.
GivingPi Member Jayanta Roy, Managing Director of The Peerless General Finance & Investment Company Ltd., is supporting long-term community development through sustained investments in education, healthcare, and holistic child development.
Working in partnership with the Ramakrishna Mission & Math, and Ramakrishna Sarada Mission, two initiatives currently support nearly 4,000 children across 85 centers in West Bengal, while healthcare interventions reach more than 35,000 individuals annually. The model combines academic support, mentoring, co-curricular activities, nutrition, preventive healthcare, and community engagement, recognizing that learning outcomes are shaped by a wider ecosystem of support.
Alongside expanding educational access, the program has contributed to improved learning outcomes, higher student retention, stronger community participation, and increased health awareness. By integrating education, health, and community development within a single framework, the initiative is helping create a self-reinforcing cycle of opportunity that enables children from underserved communities to build capabilities, pursue aspirations, and achieve long-term social mobility. To learn more, click here.
GivingPi Member Dr. Radhikaraje Gaekwad, Managing Trustee of Shri Maharani Chimnabai Stree Udyogalaya, is strengthening pathways to economic independence for women through the launch of the Tarabai Beauty Academy and Salon.
The initiative combines skill development with direct livelihood opportunities, creating a structured pathway from training to employment. Women trained through the Academy will now have access to a professional platform through the salon, enabling them to gain hands-on experience, build confidence, and generate sustainable income. Alongside vocational training, the model seeks to strengthen long-term self-reliance by supporting women to transition from learning skills to applying them in a professional setting.
Rooted in Indian wellness traditions and personal care practices, the initiative also reflects an effort to preserve and reimagine traditional knowledge within a contemporary livelihood framework. By connecting skill-building with dignified employment, the model is helping create more sustainable economic opportunities for women. To learn more about the work, click here.
GivingPi Member and founder of the Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship (GAME), Ravi Venkatesan, is supporting women-led enterprises in Andhra Pradesh to build stronger market linkages and more sustainable livelihoods through locally rooted entrepreneurship.
Working in partnership with WASSAN, the initiative has focused on strengthening Ready-to-Eat millet snack enterprises led by women’s self-help groups across Rayalaseema and Kadiri in Andhra Pradesh. The approach combines product development, peer learning, enterprise training, and market access support, recognizing that long-term income growth depends not only on production capacity but also on reliable demand and commercial viability.
Recent efforts have expanded retail and B2B linkages across Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, resulting in over ₹36,000 in sales under the Akkidi millet snacks brand, alongside multiple bulk and repeat orders. While still at an early stage, these market connections are helping create more predictable demand channels and income opportunities for women entrepreneurs.
By focusing on market access alongside enterprise development, the initiative is enabling women-led businesses to move from production to participation in formal markets. To learn more, click here.
GivingPi Member and Managing Director at the Sterlite EdIndia Foundation, Sonakshi Agarwal, is supporting systemic improvements in teacher education across Rajasthan through a long-term partnership with the Rajasthan State Council of Educational Research and Training (RSCERT). The initiative aims to support and monitor all 33 District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs).
A key milestone in this effort was the launch of the RSCERT Monitoring Dashboard, a state-wide platform that brings all 33 DIETs onto a common data system, to support and monitor them more effectively. As part of the state's quality enhancement efforts, DIETs identified as Centers of Excellence will receive focused support in alignment with the Ministry of Education's vision for strengthening teacher education institutions. By enabling real-time institutional tracking, the dashboard supports evidence-based planning, more effective resource allocation, and stronger administrative management.
Supported by structured quarterly reviews, the initiative is strengthening academic leadership and accountability across Rajasthan's teacher education ecosystem, creating stronger foundations for teacher preparation and student learning outcomes over time. To learn more, click here.
GivingPi Member and Founder of the E.S. Venkataraman Trust, V. Jayaraman, is helping strengthen the organizational capacity of the Calcutta Foundation as it expands its work across underserved communities. Across its programs, the Calcutta Foundation has trained more than 12,000 women, directly impacted over 21,904 individuals, and reached nearly 87,600 people indirectly across low-income communities, with nearly 70% of trained women now engaged in income-generating activities.
Founded in 1994, the Foundation has spent over three decades advancing a holistic model of social change that combines livelihood creation, healthcare access, education, leadership development, and community engagement. Its flagship initiative, Apni Kutir, brings together skills training, healthcare support, financial literacy, mentorship, and social empowerment to help women build confidence, agency, and long-term opportunity for themselves and their families. To learn more, click here.
GivingPi Member and Founding Member of the India Animal Welfare Funding Circle (IAF), Parag Agarwal, is helping strengthen the ecosystem for animal welfare in India by supporting collaborative funding and cross-sector engagement.
IAF helped deploy ₹5.6 crore across 17 grants in its first funding round. While research, policy, and plant-based initiatives represented 23% of applications, they received 59% of funded value, reflecting a deliberate focus on interventions that address the root causes of animal welfare challenges and drive long-term systems change.
Alongside funding, IAF’s India Karuna Collaborative convened over 50 leaders from business, finance, policy, philanthropy, media, and civil society to explore how animal welfare can be more intentionally integrated into India’s public health, climate, and development priorities. The convening identified shared priorities across standards, finance, policy, and public engagement, helping build greater alignment around a more coordinated and strategic approach to animal welfare in India. To learn more, click here.
Govind Iyer and Deval Sanghavi | Hindustan Times
In this article, GivingPi Member Govind Iyer and Deval Sanghavi, Partner and Co-Founder, Dasra, reflect on the evolution of India’s social sector and the next phase of its growth. They argue that while funding and institutional capacity have expanded significantly, the sector must now focus on building stronger ecosystems, enabling collaboration, and supporting long-term systems change.
WION Web Desk | WION
This article highlights how Research Science Initiative (RSI) India, founded by GivingPi Member Sanjay Palsamudram, is introducing high-school students to advanced research through mentorship, academic immersion, and hands-on inquiry. Inspired by the renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) model, the program aims to cultivate the next generation of researchers, innovators, and problem-solvers by providing early exposure to rigorous scientific research.
Geetika Dadlani and Shibani Gosain | Hindustan Times
This piece authored by Geetika Dadlani, Head of GivingPi and Associate Director at Dasra, and Shibani Gosain, Associate Director at Dasra, explores the value of making philanthropy more visible. It makes the case that sharing experiences, lessons, and giving journeys can strengthen trust, inspire participation, and help build a more connected culture of philanthropy.
