The pivotal role played by Indian families as stewards of private philanthropy in the country is not only growing in scale but evolving in strategic intent and structure.
Buoyed by rapid wealth creation, philanthropic capital is seeing an increasing number of now-gen or first-generation wealth creators, Inter-gen givers (or current generation of traditional family philanthropists), women givers and working professionals come on board, which has broadened the scope of giving beyond legacy causes. This influx, along with the institutionalisation of domestic private wealth through family offices, is bringing greater structure and intentionality to philanthropy. Moreover, philanthropic families are strengthening the ecosystem and professionalising philanthropic management to drive long-term, scalable impact.
According to Bain & Company and Dasra’s India Philanthropy Report 2026, Indian families contributed around 42% of the country’s total private sector philanthropy of ₹1.43 lakh crore ($16 billion) in FY25. This was channeled through a combination of personal giving by ultra-high net worth individuals (UHNI), high net worth individuals (HNI) and affluent givers as well as corporate social responsibility (CSR) funding by family-owned businesses.
Family-owned businesses account for a dominant 65-70% share of CSR funding by the private sector. This is skewed further with the top 2-3% of families contributing half the family-owned-business CSR.
Private philanthropy, led by family giving, is expected to accelerate at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9-11% through to FY30. This presents a significant opportunity for the social sector to channel this momentum to fulfil India’s development ambitions.
An analysis of Dasra’s GivingPi network of 400+ philanthropic families shows that traditional family philanthropy is maturing with the growing prominence of women leaders, now-gen and inter-gen givers and working professionals. Giving is moving beyond the traditional focus on healthcare and education toward underfunded causes such as gender equity, disability inclusion, mental health and climate action to name a few.
{{/usCountry}}An analysis of Dasra’s GivingPi network of 400+ philanthropic families shows that traditional family philanthropy is maturing with the growing prominence of women leaders, now-gen and inter-gen givers and working professionals. Giving is moving beyond the traditional focus on healthcare and education toward underfunded causes such as gender equity, disability inclusion, mental health and climate action to name a few.
{{/usCountry}}Women and professionals in particular are championing intersectional approaches across gender, equity, diversity and inclusion (GEDI). More than one-third (35%) of families now support GEDI, 28% support climate action, and 27%, livelihood enhancement and skill development.
And while private-sector CSR funds are still largely directed towards health care and education, the proportion of environment and sustainability funding has grown rapidly since FY20, aligned with the family-owned businesses’ environment, social and governance (ESG) commitments.
Family philanthropists are increasingly recognising infrastructure gaps as key constraints on impact.
They are beginning to invest in networks, research and capability-building interventions, signaling a shift toward scale-oriented, systems-level, long-term impact.
Leadership and governance in family philanthropies is becoming more inclusive and forward-looking, too.
The Bain-Dasra report shows that women are playing a leading role in shaping the philanthropic efforts in nearly two-thirds (63%) of the families covered in the GivingPi cohort. And while Inter-gen givers anchor philanthropic decisions in nearly half the families, now-gen givers are also increasingly bringing fresh perspectives and a greater appetite for impact-oriented and evidence-driven giving.
Professional philanthropic management is gaining ground, with nearly two-thirds of families relying on professional and dedicated talent. This approach enables structured governance, longer-term partnerships and deeper ecosystem engagement.
Family philanthropies are deploying diverse operating models, balancing in-house implementation while scaling grant-making portfolios. Business owners tend to formalise this through foundations and operating entities, while working professionals prefer to self-manage their philanthropy. They also favour grant-making, leveraging networks and ecosystem partners for efficient capital deployment while showing a growing appetite to engage beyond financial contributions.
India is witnessing rapid wealth creation and the institutionalisation of private wealth with the number of family offices growing seven-fold from 45 in 2018 to over 300 in 2024.
The growth and evolution of family philanthropy, along with the growing influence of the Indian diaspora and emergence of philanthropic hubs in Asia, provides a critical window to intentionally design how private philanthropic capital is mobilised, governed and deployed for long-term social impact in India.
Unlocking the potential of family giving will, however, depend on how quickly and deliberately philanthropy infrastructure adapts – embedding giving more intentionally within wealth planning, wealth stewardship and family governance.
India is at a formative institutional moment. The next shift needs to be infrastructural. With strong values and intent already in place, what is now required is the institutional and policy infrastructure to steward rising private wealth toward social impact. Sustained investments in durable philanthropic institutions and governance frameworks could unlock ₹125,000 crore to ₹135,000 crores ($14 billion–$15 billion) of philanthropic capital by FY30, advancing India’s Viksit Bharat initiative and bridging the persistent gap between philanthropic intent and execution.
Central to this is how philanthropy is positioned within wealth planning and stewardship. Embedding giving at the heart of how wealth is managed, transferred and governed can transform episodic generosity into sustained, structured impact. Wealth planning builds the financial and structural base for planned compliant and tax-efficient giving. Wealth stewardship articulates the giving intent and governance, ensuring next-gen involvement and sustained impact.
By connecting financial structures with family purpose, values and intergenerational engagement, families can use philanthropy to build cohesion, identity and legacy that surpasses individual lifetimes. This can help India’s givers turn wealth into a transformational, purpose-led force.
(The views expressed are personal)
This article is authored by Bhavini Malhotra, partner, Bain & Company and Prachi Pal, manager, research & insights, Dasra.