It's time for India's philanthropy sector to step down from its pedestal, stop hiding behind lofty jargon, and have a frank conversation about what's really working, and more importantly what's not. After dedicating twenty years to the philanthropy sector, Deval Sanghavi, co-Founder of Dasra, is now on a mission to hold a mirror up to the country's philanthropy sector and examine why even after so much innovation and investment, the inequality gap in India is ever widening.
The Dasra Social Impact Leadership Programme began in 2006 as the DSI accelerator programme for leaders of not-for-profit organisations early in their scaling journeys. The DSI Leadership Programme was launched in 2014 in collaboration with Harvard Business School and today has an alumni base of over 600 leaders. Earlier this year, we caught up with the Dasra team and the current cohort of the Leadership Programme to learn more about this initiative.
Our thanks to Amit Chandra, Kavneet Kaur, Saiprasad Sale, Kirti Chaturvedi, Disket Angmo, Nita Row, Sohan Mutha, Ahona Krishna and Nehal Parekh.
For more information about the next cohort of the Dasra Social Impact Leadership program, and details on when and how to apply, write to dsilp@dasra.org.
18 Apr 2025
Game changer for Good? Exploring the role of data, tech and AI in social impact
Earlier this year during Dasra Philanthropy Week 2025, innovators, changemakers, and thought leaders came together in Bengaluru to explore the role of Data, Technology, and AI in driving social impact.
We caught up with three panellists to find out what was discussed at their sessions and to hear their views on the future of technology in the social sector.
Sarayu Natarajan (https://x.com/iissarayu), the founder of the Aapti Institute (https://aapti.in) was on the panel “Gender inclusive Data technologies - Need for a paradigm shift”. She shares with us how her work intersects with AI and her views on the opportunities and challenges raised by it.
Vijay Sai Pratap from Graamvani, (https://gramvaani.org) was on a panel that discussed “The Power of Open Source and Collaborative Technology for Social Change”. He talks about how contextual community-based knowledge should get incorporated into large models and the importance of collaborative development in the context of tech and its applications for the social sector.
Finally we have Vaibhav Chugh from the Council on Energy Environment and Water (https://www.ceew.in), a public policy think tank who was a panelist on “Collaborating for Impact: Tech & AI Innovations for Community Resilience in India”. Vaibhav talks through his work on climate change, “building in public” and building for interoperability. He also talks about the need to address bias.
For more about No-Cost Extension Podcast and to listen to previous episodes, visit https://www.dasra.org/nce
2 Apr 2025
Bhagwan Thacker: Giving With An Open Heart And Mind
Bhagwan P Thacker is the founder of The Empowerment Fund, a private, charitable foundation with an aim to support underserved communities in the Kutch District of Gujarat with a focus on education, health and technology.
Born in Anjar, a town in Kutch, a remote region of Western Gujarat, Bhagwan P Thacker had fairly humble beginnings. He was one of the first young people in Anjar to go to a college and attended Saint Xavier's in Ahmedabad. He then studied chemical engineering at Bombay University after which he left for the United States of America, where he worked at IBM before starting his own business.
He started the Empowerment Foundation in 1995 with the desire to work in his home town of Anjar. Thacker speaks candidly of the reactions of his family in India, the ups and downs faced in the early years of the foundation, his journey learning how to give, and the changing landscape of philanthropy in India.
Listen to this episode of No-Cost Extension podcast to hear of the journey of a funder over time and see how their approach has evolved as they learn.
For more about No-Cost Extension Podcast and to listen to previous episodes, visit https://www.dasra.org/nce
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
1.0 / 5
1 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
8 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 53 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
79
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
68
Contact No-Cost Extension with Deval Sanghavi
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of No-Cost Extension with Deval Sanghavi?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
