Driving Social Impact through Innovative Finance Approaches

Examines innovative finance mechanisms to scale social impact, exploring themes such as impact investing, blended finance, venture philanthropy, assessment frameworks, and policy/regulatory frameworks in the Indian context. Draws on fellowship research commissioned by ISDM’s CIFSI to highlight drivers and challenges for sustainable social finance.

Transforming the Data Landscape: Solutions to Close Gender Data Gaps

The report identifies 142 innovative solutions developed over the past five years to address gender data gaps across six development sectors. It emphasises practical, scalable approaches to enhance data collection, analysis, and use for promoting gender equality.

Applying artificial intelligence for social good

This article explores how AI technologies can address global challenges across various domains, including crisis response, economic empowerment, education, and environmental sustainability. It presents a library of approximately 160 AI use cases aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, showcasing AI’s potential to improve societal outcomes.

World Development Report 2021: Data for Better Lives

This report examines how data can be leveraged to improve development outcomes, emphasizing the need for a new social contract to balance data use and privacy. It highlights the importance of equitable access, trust, and governance in harnessing data’s potential for societal benefit.

The Power of Data for Impact Part I: A study of data-driven practices & solutions in the social sector

To explore how the social sector leverages data and data science, Centre for Data Science and Social Impact (CDSSI) conducted a research project, culminating in a two-part report titled “The Power of Data for Impact”. The first part, “A Study of Data-Driven Practices & Solutions in the Social Sector” offers practical insights and examples of how social purpose organisations (SPOs) use data to drive large-scale impact. It was launched on February 28, 2024, during the online panel ‘Data Science for Social Impact,’ where experts discussed how data enhances organisational outcomes.

Effective Philanthropy with an Inclusive Development Lens Insights and Good Practices from Philanthropic Organisations

Drawing on insights from 37 philanthropic organisations, this report introduces the Six-Point PID Framework to guide philanthropies on their journey towards more inclusive practices. The framework emphasises six critical principles: focusing on marginalised communities, fostering trust among stakeholders, prioritising community-centric approaches, enabling long-term and flexible funding, promoting transparency and inclusivity, and encouraging collaborative action. It highlights how philanthropies can achieve meaningful impact by adopting these principles, shifting from traditional charity models to inclusive development strategies.

Unleashing the Power of Philanthropy

This working paper provides valuable insights and knowledge to reshape philanthropy for justice, equality, and inclusive development. These insights and perspectives are based on interviews conducted with diverse stakeholders from within the philanthropic ecosystem revealing key findings, motivations, unmet needs, forces driving actions, common methods, and obstacles within the development sector.

Innovative Finance Made Simple: A Primer for Innovative Financing Instruments in India

This primer aims to demystify existing financial instruments in India, enabling and empowering social sector organizations to make informed decisions to access funding. It provides an introductory overview of innovative finance instruments, including stakeholders, processes, value propositions, applicability, and associated risks. The resource is designed to help social purpose organizations understand and navigate the landscape of innovative financing options available to them.

Benchmarking of Employee Benefits in the Indian Social Sector

This report documents the key findings from the study on benefits benchmarking in the Indian social sector. It draws from a sample of 59 organisations to provide a comprehensive understanding of the employee benefits being provided by Indian social purpose organisations. Importantly, it also compares social sector benefits with those being provided by general industry.

Bridging perspectives: Innovative Finance Insights from India

This study advocates for a comprehensive understanding on innovative finance by delving into the perspectives of both donors and recipients, contributing significantly to the emerging discourse on innovative finance. It also simplifies information on innovative finance instruments. The study elucidates the various innovative financing structures, processes, stakeholders, applicability, for organisations.
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