Climate, gender push to philanthropy

"BUTTODAY'S GIVING landscape is being reshaped by families, where women, Inter-gen and Now-gen givers, along with an emerging cohort of professionals, are channeling funds into newer focus areas," added Nundy.

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Sectors like renewable energy, climate-smart agriculture, and inclusive disaster planning are other areas that urgently need support.

"The 29% funding on climate action remains a drop in the ocean compared to the $2.5 trillion needed by India by 2030 for mitigation and adaptation. In India alone, the social sector faces an annual funding gap of $170 billion. Philanthropy must now move beyond grants, embracing catalytic tools like impact investing and blended finance," said Naina Subberwal Batra, CEO, AVPN, the largest network of social investors in Asia, comprising over 600 funders and resource providers across 33 markets.

As per the India Philanthropy Report 2025, India's social sector funding has grown at a steady rate of about 13% over the past five years and is estimated to have reached about ₹25 lakh crore (8.3% of GDP) in FY2024. Public spending grew about 13% annually over the past five years, reaching approximately ₹23 lakh crore (7.9% of GDP) in FY2024.