India’s wealth is growing at a record pace. Stock market highs, liquidity events, and generational wealth transfers have created a surge in fortunes and, with it, an urge to give back. In the 2024 financial year, private philanthropy reached INR 16 billion ($177 million) and is projected to grow at a rate of 10–12 percent annually, a fivefold increase over the past decade, underscoring the importance of building strong philanthropic infrastructure.

But here’s the catch: without a strong support system, this generosity risks falling short of its potential. The giving infrastructure in India is fragmented and remains under-invested, and to truly unlock its promise, we need a robust ecosystem that matches the ambition of emerging Indian philanthropy.

Why a Strong Philanthropic Support System Matters

 Philanthropy is more than writing cheques; it’s about creating lasting impact by unlocking resources. Yet, due to sectoral fragmentation, limited collaboration, absence of shared platforms today, many funders lack access to strategic advice, curated knowledge, and execution support. A strong philanthropic support ecosystem can bridge these gaps, further demonstrating the need to build strong philanthropic infrastructure.

By ‘philanthropic support ecosystem’, we mean those providing intellectual and strategic input to funders in the sector, and in India, we’ve conducted a mapping exercise that reveals where we stand. This involved examining individuals and organisations engaged in advisory-like functions through the lens of two stakeholder groups:

  1. Those focused on wealth management with an interest in philanthropy
  2. Those fundamentally dedicated to philanthropic engagement

On the latter, the emphasis lies in creating social impact and guiding funders through their giving journeys. On the former, professionals offer consulting services around investment portfolios, tax planning, and succession strategies. Wealth management boasts a mature suite of products and services, while philanthropy engagement tends to be more customised, aligning ground-level needs with funder aspirations.

In addition, we found some stakeholders spanned both categories, while others were hesitant to fully embrace the term ‘advisory’ within the current philanthropic landscape. These tended to be those who perceived their work as requiring a broader definition, but overwhelmingly, actors aligned with activities across three core functions.

Read the full article about India’s philanthropic infrastructure by Ami Misra and Mahima Sharda at Alliance Magazine.