A gathering of nonprofit leaders, philanthropists, government representatives, media and other development stakeholders inspired conversations on collaborative action for the SDGs. The day witnessed powerful speakers encouraging action and the launch of Dasra’s flagship reports – The India Philanthropy Report and Count Me In, spotlighting Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in India.
The day was filled with thought-provoking panels on bold philanthropy, women leadership and investing in access to justice and ended with the celebration of Dasra’s 20 years in the sector. Much to catch up on below!

WELCOME ADDRESS BY FRANCINE PICKUP (UNDP)

MARGINS TO MAINSTREAM: BUILDING AN INCLUSIVE INDIA 

The SDGs goals demand inclusive action. Furthering Dasra’s commitment to spotlight underserved sectors, the flagship report on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) was launched by Kaku Nakhate, President and Country Head India at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. This was followed by a panel discussing the need to invest in programs that empower persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities (PwIDDs).

Panelists: Jeeja Ghosh (Inclusion Infinite Foundation), Kaku Nakhate (Bank of America Merrill Lynch)​​, Shai Venkataraman (Newzhook)
Moderator: Dr. Vibha Krishnamurthy (Ummeed Child Development Center)

PANEL HIGHLIGHTS

• Making the invisible, visible: The community is grossly underserved, with no specific data on people with IDDs. The Census indicated around 2% of the population is disabled, however it doesn’t take into account all kinds of disabilities and thus the percentage is significantly low than the actual number of people. It is crucial to bring IDD into mainstream conversation on development and progress. 
• Empathy over charity: Jeeja Ghosh gave a passionate plea to not just look at PwIDDs from a charity lens, but build empathy towards the community. Workplaces and corporates needs to shift the focus from competition to compassion. 
• What needs to be done: More inclusive platforms and processes need to be introduced. There need to be spaces to discuss issues faced by those with disabilities and while the media, more often than not focuses only on negative stories. 

PHILANTHROPY in INDIA: TIME TO UP OUR GAME

COLLABORATIVE PHILANTHROPY: ALL FOR ONE

The panel discussed why it is important for foundations and philanthropists to collaborate with stakeholders and how it leads to standardization of practices, shared learnings and scalable impact.

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LAUNCH OF THE India Philanthropy Report 2019

Each year, Dasra and Bain & Company release a report on the status of philanthropy in India. In the 9th version of this report, we explore the gap in individual giving in India and challenge philanthropists and UHNIs to up their game to help India achieve the SDGs

Investing into Law & Justice

Nearly 4 billion people in the world are unable to access justice. Justice impacts all our lives and yet many of us are ignorant of systems. Thus, SDG 16 is an audacious goal which is critical in achieving the other SDGs. The panel talks about the barriers in funding for justice and challenges philanthropists to invest in it

Panelists: Murali Neelakantan (Amicus), Somasekhar Sundaresan (Independent Legal Counsel), Supriya Sankaran (Vayam)
Moderator: Sriparna Ganguly (Dasra) 

PANEL HIGHLIGHTS

• Breakdown of the justice delivery system: Delay in justice affects other areas like health, education, disability etc. Justice systems in India lack innovations are slow and thus lack trust of the people. 
• Inconsistent / Lack of funding in Justice: Due to fear of govt. backlash, funding for justice is often only through one’s own network. The irregularity in funding hampers scale. There is no funding for law schools as well. 
• The rule of law affects everyone: None of us have influence on the laws that are made and yet it affects everyone. You may think that you are a law abiding citizen so you won’t be prosecuted unless something fails and the broken system implicates us and we realize the need for equal access to justice.

CATALYTIC PARTNERSHIPS & SPEARHEADING WOMEN LEADERSHIP

CATALYTIC PARTNERSHIPS: REFLECTIONS FROM HEALTH AND EDUCATION

To take a billion towards the SDGs, we need partnerships that are not just impactful but catalytic to scaling programs and initiatives. But building dynamic partnerships with diverse stakeholders can be challenging. The panel discussed what kind of partnerships can be catalytic, why they are important and how to build them

Spearheading Women Leadership : Women Leading Change for Women

Women make up only 24% of the Indian labour force as compared to 40% globally and only contribute 17% to GDP as compared to 37% globally. On the occasion of International Women’s Day, three powerful women from the sector discussed the need to be gender-intentional in our programming and creating an environment and infrastructure that helps women participate in the formal economy.

SPOTLIGHT TALKS 

      In this third decade of Indian philanthropy, we should commit to transformational changes and not incremental changes. This can be achieved through collaboration, without fear of failure and through innovative ideas. 

Samaaj and Bazaar: Congruence over Divergence Rohini Nilekani (Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies)

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      We do recognize the extent of high quality work that is being done by the network of philanthropic and non-profit organizations. The main objective of the government lies in scaling up and how government and the network can work together towards this. 

Collaboration and the Government: Unlocking Impact at Scale Praveen Pardeshi (Chief Minister's Office, Govt. of Maharashtra)

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       Macarthur Foundation’s ‘100 and Change’ Program is one of the best examples of audacious philanthropy in recent times. They had the humility to decide as a Board, “we know what we want to address but why don’t we throw it out and let anyone apply so we can gauge what we don’t know.

Sherrie Rollins Westin tells the story of Sesame Street and audacious philanthropy that today impacts 150 million children. 

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FROM DASRA's FOUNDERS

Making philanthropy matter: Future of philanthropic partnerships 

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Dasra@20: Two Decades of Impact First

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GLIMPSES OF THE DAY