Pay-What-It-Takes India Initiative

About Pay What It Takes

Pay-What-It-Takes (PWIT) India is a multiyear, collaborative initiative aimed at building a stronger and resilient social sector in India.

Funders and their nonprofit partners share a commitment to making progress on some of society’s most pressing problems. Yet, chronic underfunding of nonprofits’ true costs – core costs, organisational development (OD) costs, financial resilience, and programmatic costs – blunts the impact for which funders and nonprofits strive.

healthy banyna funding for NGOs

ill banyan funding for NGOs

PWIT’s goal is to inform and influence the mindsets and practices of funders, NGOs, and intermediaries to advance five principles that can unlock the impact potential of NGOs, and hence advance social outcomes in India.

Five grantmaking principles to unlock nonprofit potential chart.

Five grantmaking principles to unlock nonprofit potential chart.

Five grantmaking principles to unlock nonprofit potential chart.

Five grantmaking principles to unlock nonprofit potential chart.

Five grantmaking principles to unlock nonprofit potential chart.

Five grantmaking principles to unlock nonprofit potential chart.

Reports

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

According to research, Indian funders broadly share practices that inadequately fund NGOs’ true costs, rendering the sector perpetually subscale. This report shares new practices that can change this.

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

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

Funder Practices that Strengthen Nonprofit Resilience: Lessons from India

A set of Pay-What-It-Takes principles all funders can adopt to support strong, resilient nonprofit partners in India

Toolkits and Other Resources

Assistive Funder Toolkit

This toolkit, developed by Bridgespan’s Pay-What-It-Takes India Initiative, helps funders self-assess how aligned their current funding practices are with the five PWIT principles and offers actionable recommendations to address gaps and strengthen practices. The toolkit is hosted in partnership with the Indian School of Development Management.

How to Build an Organisational Development Plan Toolkit

This toolkit, developed by Bridgespan's Pay-What-It-Takes India Initiative along with five leading Indian intermediary organisations, helps funders and NGOs address the challenges faced in addressing organisational development needs of NGOs.

Companion Guide for NGO Leaders: Tips for Grant Pitches

This guide acts as a “tipsheet” for NGOs to develop nuanced fundraising approaches based on PWIT funder archetypes and to lay the groundwork for mutual trust.

Database of Intermediaries Offering Organisational Development Support

This intermediary database, launched in partnership with Atma, is a searchable listing of 100 intermediary organisations and professionals providing services across 13 OD capabilities described in the OD toolkit.

True Cost Computation and Communication Guidelines

These guidelines equip NGOs with the tools to accurately calculate, communicate and fundraise for their complete costs, including definitions, key concepts, and a step-by-step guide to the calculation of true costs of the NGO.

Articles

Four Steps Funders Can 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 look inward and redesign their approach to grantmaking.

How to Overhaul Grantmaking in India
In Stanford Social Innovation Review, we describe how strengthening relationships between funders and nonprofits, and investing in capacity, will create more resilient organisations and drive more impact.

Grantmaking Must Become More Inclusive
Traditional funding structures often overlook the unique needs and challenges of smaller nonprofits serving historically marginalised communities. As we argue in India Development Review, this needs to change.

Four Practices to Build Stronger and More Resilient NGOs in India 
Through our research, we have identified four path-changing practices for funders and NGOs that can help them deliver greater social impact. Learn more in our article for AVPN.

The Evolving Role of CSR in Funding NGOs
Beyond signing cheques, corporates are recognizing that what’s good for society is good for business, as we explain in The Hindu. (Subscription required)

Pitching True Cost Needs to Funders
Nonprofits and funders don’t always align on the importance of funding organisational development. Understanding funder motivations can help bridge this gap, as we write in India Development Review.

It’s Time for Funders to Pay-What-It-Takes
In this article for India Development Review, we explain why the chronic underfunding of administrative costs undermines the impact both funders and nonprofits strive for.

How to Create Enduring Social Impact
India’s NGOs would benefit enormously from reserves and endowments that could translate to financial resilience. We make the case in Forbes India.

Enabling Philanthropy to Achieve Its Potential, Effect Social Change
Is Indian philanthropy ready to turn a critical lens on itself? Bridgespan’s Pritha Venkatachalam and Ingrid Srinath of the Center for Social Impact & Philanthropy make the case for philanthropy to act now in The Hindustan Times.

Philanthropy in India During COVID-19
Vidya Shah, executive chairperson of EdelGive Foundation, describes in India Development Review what funders did and didn’t get right during COVID-19, and what the way forward should be.

How Leading Funders Build Strong, Resilient Nonprofits in India
Chronic underfunding of nonprofits' “true costs” hinders the impact that both funders and nonprofits aim to achieve. However, many funders in India are adopting principles to support strong, resilient nonprofit partners, and we highlight their practices in Alliance Magazine.

It’s Time for Funders to Pay-What-It-Takes
In this article for India Development Review, we discuss how the chronic underfunding of administrative costs diminishes the impact that both funders and nonprofits aim to achieve (available in Hindi).

Pitching True Cost Needs to Funders
While nonprofits often prioritise organisational development for long-term sustainability, funders may have different perspectives. By understanding funder motivations, we can better align these priorities, as discussed in India Development Review (available in Hindi).

Case Studies

The Importance of Nonprofit M&E Systems
Why are monitoring and evaluation frameworks important for grassroots nonprofits? This case study presents Tapasya's journey and the critical role these frameworks can play in driving impact and growth.

Organisational Development at the Grassroots
This case study examines the impact of formalising structures, policies, and processes in a grassroots nonprofit.

To Scale or Not to Scale?
Identifying the right moment to scale and building the necessary capacity are critical challenges for grassroots nonprofits. QUEST's growth journey offers valuable insights.

Getting Nonprofit Talent Management Right
Resource constraints often hinder strong team culture development in nonprofits. Arpan's talent management practices demonstrate how to overcome this challenge.

Funded Today, Funders Tomorrow?
Nonprofits often struggle to secure long-term funding. This case study examines how FFE successfully mobilised programme beneficiaries to become active contributors to the organisation's financial sustainability.

Scaling Impact with an External Consultant
This case study explores how external consultants can accelerate nonprofit impact, providing insights for both nonprofits and funders.

Getting Your Nonprofit Communications Right
Your essential guide to effective communication: best practices, pitfalls, and key considerations.

Everything You Need to Know to Fundraise Successfully
A detailed examination of the strategies employed by two organisations to strengthen their fundraising capabilities and the significant, multi-level impact achieved within a year.

Multimedia (Video, Infographics, and More)

Pay-What-It-Takes to Maximize Impact

NGOs can’t effectively scale impact without true cost support. Here are five principles that grant-makers can adopt to unlock NGOs’ full potential.

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NGOs grow faster when they invest in organisational development

Organisational development means investing in areas critical to growth, such as strategic planning, leadership, talent development, and fundraising.

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

Introducing our initial research at Dasra Philanthropy Week 2021, Bridgespan described the magnitude of the indirect cost funding gap and how it impedes rural nonprofits and Dalit, Bahujan, or Adivasi-led organisations more than others.

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Pay What It Takes for Impact: From Insights to Action

At Dasra Philanthropy Week 2022, Bridgespan presented the initiative's latest insights, including the three funder archtypes identified by our research and implications for each as they strive for greater impact.

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Transforming Grant Making: Investing in a Stronger and More Resilient NGO Sector

This session at Dasra Philanthropy Week 2023 shared practical approaches adopted by select funders to redefine their grantmaking practices and make these more inclusive, fair, and supportive for their partner NGOs.

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Our Partners

The PWIT India initiative is supported by our anchor funders, the A.T.E. Chandra Foundation, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, EdelGive Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Forbes Marshall. We are also guided by an advisory council of NGO leaders from Child in Need Institute, Child Rights and You, Ekjut, Lend a Hand India, National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights, Professional Assistance for Development Action, Praja, Participatory Research in Asia, Responsible Coalition for Resilient Communities, Saajha, Sangwari, Seven Sisters Development Assistance, Society for Nutrition Education and Health Action, Ummeed Child Development Center, and Sushma Iyengar, an independent consultant and expert.

Contact Us

If you are interested in collaborating with Bridgespan’s PWIT India team or would like to learn more about the initiative, please fill out the form below. 

Omidyar Network India co-sponsored the initiative in 2020.