Background
The Foundation began funding development work in India in 1992. Since 2007 it has been operating under a strategic plan. This has been through the open grants approach where a variety of well thought through, topical and appropriate works proposed by NGOs have received support. Since 2007 the programme has made 104 grants to 56 organisations (33 on a repeat basis).
PHF commissioned New Capital Philanthropy (NPC) to review the programme in 2011. NPC found that PHF had achieved considerable success in meeting the main aims of the 2007 strategy by playing the role of a respectful and constructive funder, providing flexible, progressive and supportive funding. NPC commended PHF’s open grants approach and its willingness to fund work that required a leap of faith. The NPC report also advised the PHF to: address some inherent weaknesses in the voluntary sector and bring in more rigour and greater professionalism; make the programme aims more specific; target more vulnerable communities and areas; ensure that beneficiaries were more directly involved with the process of proposal development by NGOs; and to ensure systematic outcome measurement and impact assessment were undertaken so that effectiveness of work was better understood.