Education tops agenda of philanthropists: ISB study

Our Bureau Updated - November 15, 2017 at 11:12 PM.

Philanthropists prefer to operate through personal foundations rather than giving directly to non-Government organisations, institutions or beneficiaries largely due to concerns pertaining to NGOs.

Education tops the agenda of high-net worth individuals in philanthropy, according to a joint study done by the Indian School of Business and non-profit consulting firm FSG.

About 45 per cent of total support of philanthropists goes to education followed by community development and healthcare with 18 per cent and 13 per cent respectively, according to the finding of the study which was released here on Tuesday.

The support is generally extended to infrastructure and/or operating schools within communities rather than larger systemic issues.

On the operational front, Indian philanthropists prefer to operate through personal foundations rather than giving directly to non-Government organisations, institutions or beneficiaries largely due to concerns pertaining to NGOs.

“Philanthropy in India is still in a nascent stage. Philanthropists are more oriented towards charity mindset rather than one where they can play a role in engineering large-scale social change,” the study said.

On the way forward, the study, tilted ‘Catalytic Philanthropy in India', suggested that there should be more focus on the use of data to drive systemic change besides collaboration across sectors.

> nagsridhu@thehindu.co.in

Published on February 28, 2012 16:22