How the Diaspora Can Power India’s Sustainable Development Goals

When the United Nations adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015, it gave nations until 2030 to achieve 17 ambitious targets for human development. Since then, India has advanced 7.6 points, a rate of progress that suggests the nation won’t achieve the SDGs until 2068. It currently trails neighbors such as Nepal, Sri Lanka, and China. India has a long road ahead to get back on track. 

Bridging this development gap by 2030 will demand significant financial resources: upwards of $292 billion annually by one estimate. That’s only if a climate disaster, pandemic, or other economic shock does not exacerbate disparities in the meantime. 

While the Indian government funds most domestic development efforts, the recent decline in overseas development assistance signals the need for philanthropy to step in and play a bigger role to help address these complex challenges. As Alex Counts, executive director of the India Philanthropy Alliance (IPA), a network of nonprofit and philanthropic organizations, highlights in Stanford Social Innovation Review, bold ideas are needed to improve not only the amount of diaspora philanthropy but also its impact. 

The Indian diaspora is one of the world’s most influential, comprising more than 30 million people globally, including roughly 5 million in the United States alone. In the United States, the Indian diaspora consistently ranks among the highest-earning and most-educated ethnic groups, with median incomes slightly exceeding $150,000 and roughly 77 percent holding college degrees. Their prominence across sectors like technology, hospitality, health care, and finance is evidenced by the fact that six Indian-origin leaders were featured in Fortune’s 2024 list of the 100 Most Powerful People in Business. According to research conducted by Give Grants, a grant management platform, and Indiaspora,  developed in collaboration with The Bridgespan Group, wealthy (net worth over $30 million) Indian diaspora households in the United States are expected to hold $1.02 trillion in wealth and have the potential to contribute a staggering $1.5 billion to $2.5 billion to philanthropic causes by 2030. That range is comparable to the total amount of official development aid India received from all countries in 2023 (approximately $2.4 billion).

Unlocking the US-based diaspora’s potential requires a supportive ecosystem that addresses key barriers—limited awareness of India’s development issues, difficulty finding credible organizations making a difference on chosen causes, and constraints of time and experience in handling intermediary organizations that serve the social sector.    

Our research has found that concerted efforts around what we call the “3C flywheel of giving”—Curiosity, Connection, and Curation—can help support diaspora funding. 

• Curiosity in India’s development issues is built through immersion visits,
• Connection is fostered through networks of mentors, role models, peers, and social-sector actors, and 
• Curation involves identifying ambitious opportunities and changemakers who work on causes that resonate with the diaspora. 

If leaders within the diaspora community, Indian nonprofits, and intermediary organizations work together to shape the ecosystem around these 3Cs, it would likely lead to more funding and more impact.

Leading by Example

The real drivers of success are often the leaders within the diaspora community. Take, for example, Vijay Goradia, who initiated one of the most influential diaspora-led funding movements after his curiosity was sparked on a visit to one of Pratham’s programs in India. Drawn to Pratham’s co-founder Madhav Chavan’s vision for an effective but low-cost teaching methodology to help Indian children, especially those in rural schools, with reading, writing, and arithmetic skills, Goradia founded Pratham USA in 1999. Starting with an early fundraising event in Houston, he built meaningful connections with other diaspora leaders, who expanded the network further to establish several  state chapter boards and grow its funding to $32 million in 2023. The organization invests in high-touch engagement activities that culminate in exclusive events such as galas. Today, the organization enables millions of children across India to gain access to foundational learning. 

Nirmala Garimella, co-founder of Circle of Hope, an American India Foundation (AIF) initiative founded to empower women philanthropists to invest in programs that improve the lives of women and girls in India, has similarly built strong networks to feed a robust funding pipeline. “A dedicated board takes ownership and introduces [you to] more donors. Warm introductions from someone influential can trigger a network effect,” she says. 

Lata Krishnan, founder of AIF, also highlights the importance of building connections with younger, next-generation leaders. “People are drawn to younger leaders, and their peers often rally behind them.” The organization’s New York and Bay Area chapters, for instance, actively engage younger donors. 

High-impact Indian nonprofits can also spark curiosity and build authentic connections with diaspora members by finding ways to stand apart from their counterparts. Srividya Prakash, board member at the US-based nonprofit Antara International, which is focused on maternal and child health and nutrition in India, highlights the power of building a compelling narrative that gets funders excited. Her advice is to identify a core asset—a charismatic founder, a silver-bullet idea, or a relatable spokesperson—and build the nonprofit’s story around it. 

Matthew Spacie, founder of Magic Bus, a nonprofit that supports young people from underserved communities with life skills to help them transition out of poverty, believes that although there is no shortcut to building and nurturing relationships, brand messaging must be well-crafted to spark curiosity from diaspora funders, and help diversify a nonprofit’s funding base. Impact reporting is just as important for donor cultivation and stewardship, notes IPA’s Counts. “Have strong evidence, ensure good governance, hire a major gifts officer, and diligently cultivate high-potential donor relationships with a long-term perspective.”

Organizations need not act alone. Intermediaries (organizations supporting social-sector actors) can unify all 3Cs of the flywheel: sparking curiosity by helping funders discover effective nonprofits aligned with SDG causes through field introductions, sourcing and diligence, and immersive visits; fostering connection by convening like-minded actors and enabling collaboration; and curating bold bets on development initiatives. They can also help design pilots to scale these investments, disseminate best practices through sector convenings, and help funders grow their giving and make it more efficient (i.e., more impact per philanthropic dollar). And, with the recent tightening of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, which regulates the flow of foreign funding into India, the role of intermediaries in helping funders discover and vet credible nonprofits makes it easier for funders to give directly.

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As the world’s most populous country and a leading voice for the Global South, India will play a pivotal role in advancing progress on the SDGs. The Indian diaspora is uniquely positioned to support the effort by channeling wealth, networks, and influence toward high-impact opportunities in India. With the right scaffolding, the 3C flywheel of giving can accelerate, and this social sector ecosystem can help put India’s development trajectory back on track, leaving behind a legacy of lasting change.

About the Author

Chandni Noronha is a principal in The Bridgespan Group’s India office. Rohit Menezes is a partner in Bridgespan’s San Francisco office.