the map

/

section 3

What is the financial reality on the ground?

changing lives yet struggling to survive

Organizations in the sample report funding that is fragmented, uncertain, and hard to sustain.

immediate instability and long-term fragility

Financial strain is widespread across the sample

Organizations face financial pressure on two fronts: immediate funding gaps and limited long-term reserves.

Many operate with funding deficits, while most lack corpus funds to cushion against uncertainty. Even those with corpus funds are increasingly drawing on them to sustain operations.

financial vulnerability

UNCERTAIN FUNDING IS AN OPERATING CONDITION FOR ORGANIZATIONS OF ALL SIZES IN THE SAMPLE

To understand the extent of financial vulnerability, this analysis assesses organizations across four indicators of financial stress and combines them into a composite score.

The score helps quantify vulnerability, compare patterns across organizations, and examine whether characteristics such as organization size are associated with financial vulnerability.

indicator 1

Financial Runway less than six months 

Financial Runway less than six months 

Financial Runway less than six months 

Insufficient reserves to sustain operations beyond six months without new funding

Why it matters?

indicator 2

international donor reliance

international donor reliance

international donor reliance

More than 40% of the organization's total funding comes from international donors

Why it matters?

indicator 3

absence of corpus funding

absence of corpus funding

absence of corpus funding

No long-term reserve or endowment fund to draw on during funding gaps

Why it matters?

indicator 4

Self-reported Funding Deficit 

Self-reported Funding Deficit 

Self-reported Funding Deficit 

Current funding is insufficient to meet its programmatic and operational needs

Why it matters?

Each indicator carries equal weight, as financial health depends on multiple factors and no single condition is inherently more severe than another.

An organization facing two or more of these conditions simultaneously is considered meaningfully more precarious than one facing only one.

Confidence in meeting future funding needs remains low, even among the least vulnerable organizations. Only one financially stable organization reports being very confident, pointing to funding as fundamentally unpredictable across the sample.
Confidence in meeting future funding needs remains low, even among the least vulnerable organizations. Only one financially stable organization reports being very confident, pointing to funding as fundamentally unpredictable across the sample.
Confidence in meeting future funding needs remains low, even among the least vulnerable organizations. Only one financially stable organization reports being very confident, pointing to funding as fundamentally unpredictable across the sample.

grant cycles outlast survival capacity

FOR HALF the organizations, THE NEXT GRANT ARRIVES AFTER THE MONEY RUNS OUT

The median financial runway in the sample is 6 months. The median grant conversion timeline is 7.5 months. Organizations typically bridge this gap through founder loans, delayed salaries, or paused programs.

49% of NGOs fall into a critical zone: short runway and extended grant timelines converging into a condition of near-permanent financial precarity. This pattern is shaped by the design of funding flows. Many of the factors that govern it sit outside the control of organizational financial management.
49% of NGOs fall into a critical zone: short runway and extended grant timelines converging into a condition of near-permanent financial precarity. This pattern is shaped by the design of funding flows. Many of the factors that govern it sit outside the control of organizational financial management.
49% of NGOs fall into a critical zone: short runway and extended grant timelines converging into a condition of near-permanent financial precarity. This pattern is shaped by the design of funding flows. Many of the factors that govern it sit outside the control of organizational financial management.

needs vs realities

funding instruments are misaligned with what the work requires

Short-term, project-based funding structured around pre-defined outputs constrains organizations’ ability to address structural and intersectional drivers of inequality. It limits investment in community-led learning, adaptation, and reflection.

identified as top priority

the reality

long-term funding

71.6%

71.6%

identified as a top priority

identified as a top priority

23.7%

23.7%

have unlocked a grant longer than 5 years

have unlocked a grant longer than 5 years

core funding

68.6%

68.6%

identified as a top priority

identified as a top priority

30.2%

30.2%

can access core funding

can access core funding

corpus funding

44.4%

44.4%

identified as a top priority

identified as a top priority

30.8%

30.8%

have corpus funds

have corpus funds

flexible funding

42.6%

42.6%

identified as a top priority

identified as a top priority

3.6%

3.6%

say flexible funding is easy to access

say flexible funding is easy to access

The organizations closest to communities often have the thinnest resources, while funding flows toward work where outcomes are easier to define and measure. The result is a misalignment between where money goes and what meaningful change requires.
The organizations closest to communities often have the thinnest resources, while funding flows toward work where outcomes are easier to define and measure. The result is a misalignment between where money goes and what meaningful change requires.
The organizations closest to communities often have the thinnest resources, while funding flows toward work where outcomes are easier to define and measure. The result is a misalignment between where money goes and what meaningful change requires.

Women and girls' lives do not pause between grant cycles. Funding structures need to reflect this.

Women and girls’ lives do not pause between grant cycles. Funding structures need to reflect this.

So what kind of work and interventions are the donors funding?

Read the previous section

Read the next section

FUNDING HER FUTURE

explore

FUNDING HER FUTURE

explore

FUNDING HER FUTURE

explore

01

the legend

02

the map

03

upcoming research

man riding a bicycle
people laughing and talking outside during daytime
black smartphone

REPORT

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

CLICK TO READ

How Delivery Hero streamlines marketing reporting across all their brands with Clarisights. How Delivery Hero streamlines marketing reporting across all their brands with Clarisights. How Delivery Hero streamlines marketing reporting across all their brands with Clarisights. How Delivery Hero streamlines marketing reporting across all their brands with Clarisights. How Delivery Hero streamlines marketing reporting across all their brands with Clarisights. How Delivery Hero streamlines marketing reporting across all their brands with Clarisights. How Delivery Hero streamlines marketing reporting across all their brands with Clarisights. How Delivery Hero streamlines marketing reporting across all their brands with Clarisights. How Delivery Hero streamlines marketing reporting across all their brands with Clarisights. How Delivery Hero streamlines marketing reporting across all their brands with Clarisights. How Delivery Hero streamlines marketing reporting across all their brands with Clarisights

download the report

about

acknowledgements

acknowledgements

voices from the field

voices from the field

references

references

Glossary

Glossary

Funding her FUTURE

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

Made by Figure&Plot

Made by Figure&Plot