Evolution of a

Diaspora Foundation

May 2008
 Overview
• AIF’s mission is to accelerate social and economic change in India

• AIF is the largest collective platform for Diaspora-led philanthropy

focused on India

• Since its inception in 2001, AIF has directly touched nearly 1 million
lives in India through grant making and various programs

• AIF demonstrates the value of collective philanthropy (providing an

outlet through which individuals and corporations can channel their
donor dollars) and strategic philanthropy (systematically addressing
social and economic development issues).

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 On the Ground in India

G Education Livelihoods Public Health Disaster Rehabilitation

R
Increasing access to Increasing livelihood Improving the health Special grants made
A
quality elementary security and options and survival of following major national
N
education among marginalized women and children disasters
T
workers
M
A
K
I
N
G

P
R
O Digital Equalizer Service Corps
G Increasing effectiveness of Enhancing the capacity of Indian
R education by using computers NGOs through placement of
A and Internet in the classroom skilled and experienced
M volunteers
S 3
 Operational Strategy

• Invest in high quality organizations

• Demonstrate innovative, scalable models

• Develop public-private funding partnerships

• Share best practices across geographies

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 Catalyzing Change
By using a strategic approach in its grantmaking and programs, AIF has built successful models to
accelerate social and economic change. Sustained and nurtured by AIF’s public-private partnerships, these
models have grown from small pilot investments to a scale where they demonstrate the potential for
transformational change in society.

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 Genesis and Initial years
• Credibility Transfer is critical

• Startup requires credibility who buys into this idea to help

coalesce

• Credibility on both sides

- US Side - Board and Trustees, Advisory Council, Chapters
- India Side: India Advisory Group, Top-notch NGO Partners

• Build, Cultivate, Nurture

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 Building A Diverse
Coalition of US Donors

•Largest non-endowed US-based organization for impacting India’s development

•Nationwide platform, with offices in New York City and Silicon Valley as well as
volunteer-led chapters in major metropolitan areas

•Also reaches out to non-Indian individual supporters and corporations with a deep
interest in India’s development

•Engaging a growing base of second generation Indian Americans through Young

Professionals and Junior Clubs (middle to high school students)

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 AIF Leadership

• AIF’s Board of Directors, Council of Trustees and

Advisory Council are a powerful blend of leaders
from India and the US.
– President Bill Clinton serves as Honorary Chair of Council of
Trustees
– Prof. Amartya Sen, Nobel Laureate serves as Chair of US Advisory
Council
– Rajat Gupta, Senior Partner Emeritus, McKinsey & Co., and Victor
Menezes, Retired Senior Vice President, Citigroup chair AIF’s Board
of Directors
– AIF Executive Leadership has a vast range of leadership
experience in the private and non-profit sector

• AIF has a full-time professional staff across offices in

New York, Silicon Valley, Delhi and Bangalore 8
 AIF
Differentiators
 Professional staff in India

 Strategic Approach

 Low overheads

 Transparent and Accountable

 Secular

 Nationwide presence in India and US

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 Serving Diaspora Communities

• Establishing a trusted bridge

• Enabling environment for giving

• Credible alternate to religious

giving and/or narrow geographic
giving

• Secular approach
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 Serving Countries of Origin

• To spotlight issue of most disadvantaged

• Bring to bear effective and innovative solutions
• Leveraging government support and resources in three areas
– Universalizing elementary education
– Increasing access to primary health care
– Draw multiple stakeholders to build effective solutions
• Policy shift and thereby enhance impact

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 Challenges

• Trade off in the pursuit of a credible platform

- Challenge of engaging vast numbers v/s HNWIs – low hanging fruits

• Super High Net Worth Individuals

- Focused on private giving and do not wish to participate on common
platform

• Intimidating cost of engaging people down the pyramid

- Difficult to reach those reasonably affluent but not very wealthy

• Physical & metaphorical distance between end-beneficiary &

giver
- To effectively engage long term supporters, they actually need to see
the work and directly interact with the beneficiaries. Distance
between ultimate beneficiaries and giver. (As opposed to
neighborhood giving that is most visible)

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 Improved facilitation of
Diaspora philanthropy

• Build a large enough critical mass of givers and derive freedom from
the influence of very large donors. (which most times comes with
strings attached)

• More freedom to do the right thing. Helps move away from narrow
agenda of big givers.

• Greater engagement of corporate sector. Tap into global investment

in India and make philanthropy integral to business strategy

• The influence of the Diaspora on the establishment in India is

disproportionate to the numbers. Better harness this power.

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