How SVP India’s ‘engaged philanthropy’ model is enabling a new segment of givers to create a difference

It’s well-known that though India’s philanthropy capital is growing, demand continues to outpace supply. As per the Bain-Dasra India Philanthropy Report 2026, the funding gap was around $180 billion in FY25 and is likely to widen to $210 billion by FY30. Most philanthropy in India is government-led. Private philanthropy, according to the report, was at $16 billion in FY25, with a 9% to 11% projected CAGR between FY25-30. In order to avoid this funding deficit from further widening, the report says that the philanthropy capital growth rate has to be upwards of 25% on a sustained basis.

The bulk of private giving happens through the CSR arms of corporates and through personal philanthropy foundations such as Azim Premji Foundation, Shiv Nadar Foundation or Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies. A major reason for the gap in philanthropic capital, especially in the private sector, according to Govind Iyer, all-India chairperson, SVP India, is because people don’t know which non-profit or charitable cause is credible enough to support. He claims the SVP model is helping the needle to move by not just getting the ultra-high net-worth (UHNI) to fund the array of causes the platform supports, but also individuals in the Rs 1-3 crore yearly income bracket to loosen their purse strings.

“They open not only their chequebook, but they also give access to their networks and connections, focus on capacity building. When a person joins our platform, we show them the NGOs we work with and allow them to support a cause which appeals to them. We have a network of 800-odd partners and around 116 NGOs.” Iyer calls it ‘engaged philanthropy’. It is not necessarily about committing a huge pool of capital. The giver could play a more engaged role by offering his/her professional skills, opening doors to more strategic funding and so on.

Iyer cites the example of a partner who joined the SVP ecosystem nine months ago and recently told him that she wanted to do more. “She visited a school and was appalled that it didn’t have a proper toilet. She decided to build a toilet for them. She got her contractor to build a toilet. It cost her Rs 1 lakh, but she felt the joy of giving a purposeful existence.”

“It is not that people do not want to give. I think the credibility, legitimacy and being closer to the cause is not clear enough,” adds Ambuj Kumar, CEO (pan-India), SVP.

Engaged philanthropy, says Iyer, is not just about an individual signing a cheque or mentoring an NGO; it is also about using his/her pedigree to influence another individual or corporate to support a cause that particular individual believes in. “I was at breakfast with someone and I was talking to him about a project that I am supporting in the healthcare space. The person said he wanted to support my cause. Automatically, the trust that he had in me got him to transfer Rs 25 lakh to make the project successful.”

Around 65% of SVP givers are individuals and the remaining comes from CSR funds of corporates and UHNI. “Around 25% of our partners are owners of businesses or they have their own foundations and they give. But 75% are corporate world individuals. So, I think philanthropy is growing a lot in India compared to my own expectations of five years ago,” Iyer says.

Fast Pitch

Ambuj compares SVP’s 116 NGO network to Series A start-ups. Their turnover is in the region of Rs 25 lakh to Rs 2 crore. Till about 2022, the organisation was able to raise around Rs 5-6 crore from its partners (then around 260) as grants. “That year we did our first-ever public fundraiser, where we actually opened ourselves to the audience. We raised about Rs 2.06 crore from the fundraiser. In 2026, we raised Rs 80-85 crore through such an event,” says Iyer.

He is particularly excited about ‘Fast Pitch’, a Shark Tank kind of initiative where SVP selects 10 non-profits to hard-sell their cause to investors. The founders have to present their story in just five minutes. The 2026 (fifth) edition of Fast Pitch raised close to Rs 8 crore in funds. In the last four years, Fast Pitch has supported 46 non-profits with grants of Rs 22.4 crore.

Going forward, the SVP vision is to create philanthropists and enable their journey, says Ambuj.