Pay-What-It-Takes India Initiative

To address the chronic underfunding of NGOs in India, The Bridgespan Group has joined with four leading philanthropies—A.T.E. Chandra Foundation, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, EdelGive Foundation, and the Ford Foundation—on the Pay-What-It-Takes India Initiative.

Bridgespan Publications

Building Strong, Resilient NGOs in India: Time for New Funding Practices

This study shares the initial findings of the initiatives, drawing on a broad-based survey and financial analysis of NGOs. It also recommends four practices to set funders and NGOs on a new path.

How to Build an Organisational Development Plan Toolkit

This toolkit, designed by the Bridgespan Pay-What-It-Takes India initiative and its anchor partners, helps funders and NGOs to address the challenges they face in assessing organisational development needs.

Bridging the Gap on Funding the True Costs of NGOs in India

There’s a gap between funders’ perspectives on how much they support indirect costs and organisational development, and NGOs' perspectives on just how much funders are willing to support it. This research can help NGOs and funders bridge that divide.

Four steps funders should take to invest in organisational well-being

Naghma Mulla of EdelGive Foundation explains in India Development Review why it's time for the funding community to introspect and redesign their approach to grantmaking.

How to Overhaul Grantmaking in India

In Stanford Social Innovation Review, we describe how building better relationships between funders and nonprofits, and investing in capacity, will mean more resilient organisations and more impact.

It’s time for funders to pay-what-it-takes

In India Development Review, we explain why the chronic underfunding of administrative costs undermines the impact both funders and nonprofits strive for.

Four Practices to Build Stronger and More Resilient NGOs in India

In this article for AVPN, we describe four path-changing practices for funders and NGOs that can help them deliver greater social impact.

Pay What It Takes Philanthropy: Building Stronger and More Resilient NGOs

At Dasra Philanthropy Week 2021, Bridgespan shared the initial insights of the Pay-What-It-Takes initiative. The session included a presentation by Nilesh Nimkar (director of QUEST, Quality Education Support Trust) and a panel discussion with Amit Chandra (co-founder of A.T.E. Chandra Foundation) and Vidya Shah (chairperson and CEO of EdelGive Foundation), moderated by Jagdeesh Rao (chief executive of FES, Foundation for Ecological Security).

Watch

We would also like to thank Omidyar Network India for being an anchor partner of the Pay-What-It-Takes India initiative in 2020.