The Year That Was — RNP’s Impact Assessment (Annual Report FY 2023–24)

Authored by Natasha Joshi (Associate Director, Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies)

Two years ago, we shared our framework for understanding the impact of our partner organisations in an article titled, Plotting Impact Beyond Simple Metrics, in the Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR). In that piece, we also articulated how Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies (RNP) could assess its own impact. That articulation was based on feedback received from our partner NGOs, who responded to what they believe foundations should do in order to move the field forward.

This year, we are attempting to report our impact in that framework. In it, we are not including the field-level impact of our grantees — as we believe that is a result of their toil and to their credit. By laying down our unique contributions, we hope to learn and understand our role in the ecosystem better.

Our impact framework

Tangible, fast emerging: multi-year grants

In 2023–24, we had 118 active grantee partners, of which 42.7% received multi-year grants with a majority of them being unrestricted. We also launched a new portfolio — Mental Health — with a large outlay of INR 100 Crores (across 5 years) along with an additional annual allocation for mental health grants. We have also increased our allocations towards Small Grants, allowing us to bring new organisations into our ecosystem. One part of the increase in Small Grants was deployed towards capacity-building grants made out to RNP partners, with the objective of learning more about the capacity-building needs of our partner organisations. A direct result of this effort is a separate head for capacity-building grants in the FY 24–25 budget.

Intangible, fast emerging: gatherings and sense-making

For our areas of interest, we take a portfolio approach, where the cumulative efforts of multiple partners as well as RNP in any thematic area need to be understood alongside the broader, higher trends for that domain. One way in which we do this is through portfolio gathering where partners working in a similar domain convene, and see the whole system together. In 2023–24, we gathered our Active Citizenship portfolio and learned several things about the opportunities and challenges of operating in this space. By creating public assets — a civic engagement campaign in partnership with Civic Studios and insights from portfolio partners — we hope to continue learning and informing the space of civic engagement and active citizenship in India.

Outside of our events, we also supported seven partner organisations in holding events of their own. By bringing their stakeholders together, NGO partners get the opportunity to engage in sense-making at the level that feels relevant to them.

Slow emerging, intangible: evaluations for learning

We commissioned and participated in several research and learning partnerships this year. Some key ones are highlighted below:

1. State of India’s Father report; in partnership with Equimundo and ICRW: A first fatherhood survey in India aimed at understanding the perception, joys and constraints of fatherhood in India.
2. State of schemes report; in partnership with Haqdarshaq: This report hopes to look at the longer arc of social protection in India, with a deeper dive into the current status of last-mile delivery of welfare schemes and entitlements.
3. Civil Society and the State in India: A two-part book looking at the history of leading civil society organisations and their interactions with the State. The series hopes to archive the vibrant legacy of civil society efforts in India, while also proffering learnings and models for the future.
4. Crime & Punishment Project: A research by the Criminal Justice team at Vidhi to understand the impact of criminal laws, both on the criminal justice system and the citizens of India.
5. Community Driven Change, a learning agenda, in partnership with Bridgespan: The report spotlights emerging evidence of the potential and impact of Community-driven Change (CDC), and identifies the factors that enable CDC to take hold. It also shares ideas for funders and implementing organisations eager to get started or to get more deeply involved in CDC.

Slow emerging, tangible: informing philanthropy

A consistent feedback we get from NGO partners is that, aside from giving grants, donor organisations should find ways to bring better, creative funding practices into the ecosystem. As a domestic foundation, we take that role seriously. We take part and create avenues that allow us to interact and exchange ideas with peer foundations as well as HNIs. In 2023, we fronted or co-created four such interactions:

1. Women Givers meet-up: Last July, several women philanthropists met up in Mumbai to share their experiences and insights about shaping and sharing the power of giving. Important questions were raised about women’s relationship with money, the purpose and effectiveness of corpus funds, and strategies for involving the next generation in philanthropy.
2. Philanthropy mixer: 70 grantmakers representing 40-odd grant-making organisations attended the mixer held in Bengaluru. This event highlighted the increasing interest in integrating well-being into philanthropic practices to nurture a healthier, more collaborative philanthropic ecosystem built for the long term.
3. Gender Huddle; hosted by Bridgespan with co-creation with RNP: The objective was to convene key domestic and foreign foundations that currently support gender programs in India, and understand how funding for this space can be increased.
4. Rohini Nilekani’s speaking events: Rohini spoke at over 25 events during the last financial year and interacted with philanthropists, students, our NGO partners and policy-makers. While the keynote addresses at IIMB and National Law School of India University (NLSUI) gave her an opportunity to hear from young minds, her participation in global panels at WEF and panels organised by Asia Philanthropy Circle, Co-Impact, Bridgespan and Alliance Magazine allowed her to share & learn with fellow-funders. She also participated in events organised by our partners and through field visits.

In Rohini Nilekani’s words, ‘a mirror is a must in the philanthropist’s hand’. We hope this attempt at self-reflection pushes us to deepen our journey of learning and impact alongside our dedicated partners and stakeholders.

To read the RNP Annual Report (FY 2023–24), please click here.