section 2

Who is funding the work?

Globally, only 8% of philanthropic funding goes toward gender equality, and 81% of that is concentrated in sexual and reproductive health. No such comparative estimate exists for India.

India has a diverse philanthropic ecosystem: Each funder brings their own priorities, strengths, and constraints, but no single source covers the full range of gender work reported in the sample.

Funder Types

SEVEN FUNDER categories, DIFFERENT PLAYBOOKS

Seven funder archetypes emerged from survey responses, as reported by non-profits. The limited overlap between funder priorities may constrain the range of work organizations are able to pursue.

The limited overlap between them may constrain the range of work organizations are able to pursue.

InternationAl donors

domestic foundations

HNIs

CSR

government grants

self-generated revenue

retail giving

InternationAl donors

Historically, international donors played a critical role in advancing gender-focused work in India

What does the literature show?

Practitioner Insights on

international donors

International funding provided relatively flexible funding that enabled organisations to adapt to evolving needs while investing in institutional capacity, learning, and knowledge generation.
International funding was also described as trust-based, particularly valuable for long-term work where outcomes may not be visible through short-term metrics.
Practitioners pointed to shifts in international funding as a growing constraint on resources available for gender-focused work.

What does the literature show?

Average share of total budget from International Donors (%)

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

Depend heavily on this funder type, have fewest alternate sources

19.3%

micro

Highest share of any funder type, have fewest alternate sources

39.6%

small

Highest share of any funder type, have fewest alternate sources

26.7%

medium

Highest share of any funder type, have fewest alternate sources

24.3%

large

Highest share of any funder type, have fewest alternate sources

29.3%

very large

InternationAl donors

domestic foundations

HNIs

CSR

government grants

self-generated revenue

retail giving

InternationAl donors

Historically, international donors played a critical role in advancing gender-focused work in India

What does the literature show?

Practitioner Insights on

international donors

International funding provided relatively flexible funding that enabled organisations to adapt to evolving needs while investing in institutional capacity, learning, and knowledge generation.
International funding was also described as trust-based, particularly valuable for long-term work where outcomes may not be visible through short-term metrics.
Practitioners pointed to shifts in international funding as a growing constraint on resources available for gender-focused work.

What does the literature show?

Average share of total budget from International Donors (%)

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

Depend heavily on this funder type, have fewest alternate sources

19.3%

micro

Highest share of any funder type, have fewest alternate sources

39.6%

small

Highest share of any funder type, have fewest alternate sources

26.7%

medium

Highest share of any funder type, have fewest alternate sources

24.3%

large

Highest share of any funder type, have fewest alternate sources

29.3%

very large

InternationAl donors

domestic foundations

HNIs

CSR

government grants

self-generated revenue

retail giving

InternationAl donors

Historically, international donors played a critical role in advancing gender-focused work in India

What does the literature show?

Practitioner Insights on

international donors

International funding provided relatively flexible funding that enabled organisations to adapt to evolving needs while investing in institutional capacity, learning, and knowledge generation.
International funding was also described as trust-based, particularly valuable for long-term work where outcomes may not be visible through short-term metrics.
Practitioners pointed to shifts in international funding as a growing constraint on resources available for gender-focused work.

What does the literature show?

Average share of total budget from International Donors (%)

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

Depend heavily on this funder type, have fewest alternate sources

19.3%

micro

Highest share of any funder type, have fewest alternate sources

39.6%

small

Highest share of any funder type, have fewest alternate sources

26.7%

medium

Highest share of any funder type, have fewest alternate sources

24.3%

large

Highest share of any funder type, have fewest alternate sources

29.3%

very large

Shifting the lens from organization size to the depth of gender integration in program design reveals distinct funding patterns.

transformation paradox

As gender work deepens, the funding base narrows

Among organizations in our sample with more gender-neutral programs, CSR is the largest source of funding, ahead of international donors.The pattern reverses as programs become more gender-transformative, with international donors becoming the largest source of funding at 37% and CSR's share declining to 17%.

gender neutral

gender transformative

30%

CSR

Govt

25%

Other Sources

15%

Philanthropic Foundations

21%

International Donors

CSR is the largest contributor, reflecting its alignment with clearly defined activities, outputs, and measurable outcomes.

CSR is the largest contributor since it is structured around defined outputs and shorter timelines, making it easier to measure.

Philanthropic foundations account for a larger share of funding as programs become more gender-transformative, underscoring their growing importance in supporting sustained, equity-focused efforts.

Philanthropic foundations follow a similar trend, accounting for a larger share of funding as programs become more gender-intentional.

gender neutral

gender transformative

30%

CSR

Govt

25%

Other Sources

15%

Philanthropic Foundations

21%

International Donors

CSR is the largest contributor, reflecting its alignment with clearly defined activities, outputs, and measurable outcomes.

CSR is the largest contributor since it is structured around defined outputs and shorter timelines, making it easier to measure.

Philanthropic foundations account for a larger share of funding as programs become more gender-transformative, underscoring their growing importance in supporting sustained, equity-focused efforts.

Philanthropic foundations follow a similar trend, accounting for a larger share of funding as programs become more gender-intentional.

This divergence reflects differences in funding design. As the organizations surveyed take on complex challenges and work across longer time horizons, their domestic funding base narrows.

organizations doing gender-transformative work are more VULNERABLE to SHIFTS in funder priorities

What are the financial realities that make it difficult to sustain the work most critical to lasting change?

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Funding Her Future: Advancing Philanthropy for Women and Girls in India

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about

acknowledgements

voices from the field

references

Glossary

This research is intended to contribute to an ongoing conversation on philanthropy for women and girls in India. For questions, feedback, or to continue the discussion, please contact: fundingherfuturedasra@gmail.com

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