Micro Funding: The Potential of Individual Philanthropy for Last Mile Changemakers

Philanthropy in India and globally has largely been studied through the lens of donors. The recipients’ side has been overlooked except in the discussion on how to build fundraising skills. Studies and reports in the public domain focus on the ‘giver’ – the segmentation within, their motivation, what they look for through their ‘giving’, where their challenges lie, and how they can be encouraged to contribute more. A similar analysis of ‘receivers’ is missing, or not easily available in the public domain. Even what exists in this area is skewed in favour of larger organisations and NGOs. This mirrors the trend of private donor funding (individual and institutional) which is skewed in favour of organisations with a minimum annual spend of INR 4-5 crores. This skew overlooks and excludes 85% of organisations in India that have annual turnover of less than INR 5 crores. Typically, these organisations are led by passionate, young, changemakers working with last mile communities with limited support mechanisms for organisation building (Khan & Divakar, 2021)