CIFSI seeks to bridge the information gap existing in the innovative finance landscape in India by creating knowledge resources and capacity-building tools from the implementer's perspective. These resources empower recipient social purpose organisations with the right information, skills, and expertise necessary to access innovative financing for social & impact
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Grassroots Non-profit Organisations (NPOs) in India address critical social challenges but often struggle to access traditional and innovative financing. Fragmented sector dynamics and complex funding requirements limit their growth and impact. Our latest working paper explores the Consortium Funding Model (CFM) as a solution. By pooling resources and fostering collaboration, CFM offers equitable access to flexible funding and tailored capacity-building support, empowering NPOs to achieve sustainable impact.
Explore some of the finest studies on innovative finance for social impact in this compendium featuring research papers of three exceptional CIFSI Fellows. Driven by the shared goal of fostering impactful solutions, these fellows delved into critical areas, generating valuable insights and contributing to a growing community of practice. The findings have significant implications across multiple sectors, offering actionable strategies to enhance financial inclusion, improve regulatory frameworks, and strengthen ecosystem collaboration. Discover their groundbreaking work and join us in shaping the future of finance for social good.
This document provides a clear roadmap for nonprofits seeking to participate in Outcome-based Financing. It outlines the crucial "plus-plus competencies" that extend beyond standard operations through specific enhancements needed for outcome-readiness. This framework helps you discover how to cultivate a culture for outcomes, implement outcomes-oriented systems, and develop outcomes-focused program capabilities.
Navigating the complexities of impact assessment and evaluation can be challenging in the development sector, where terms like Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E), and Impact Assessment are often used interchangeably. This guidebook serves as a practical resource to clarify these concepts, offering a clear understanding of their distinctions and applications. Tailored for our target audience, the guidebook equips organisations with the knowledge and tools needed for effective decision-making and resource allocation needed for impact assessment. Whether you're looking to refine your impact strategy or enhance your evaluation processes, this resource is designed to support your journey towards more informed and impactful development work.
This report explores the evolving landscape of impact measurement, drawing on insights from practitioners, ecosystem experts, and organisations working in education, healthcare, and livelihood. While impact is often understood differently across stakeholders, the study highlights key themes shaping impact narratives-Systemic Change, Community Empowerment, and Women’s Empowerment-revealing how different organisational models influence their measurement approaches. The report talks about common challenges-capacity constraints, funding limitations, and operational barriers-and explores practical strategies to address them.
This study examines the perceptions of 71 not-for-profit organisations (NPOs) in India on outcomes-based financing (OBF) - their perceptions of the benefits of OBF, its risks to organisations, and market-level challenges. It also delves into the influence of factors such as annual budget, workforce size, and sectors of operations on the NPOs' perceptions of OBF.
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.
A Primer to demystify existing financial instruments in India that enables and empowers social sector organisations to make informed decisions to access funding.
The report summarises the discussions and outcomes of our recent roundtable - Demystifying the Black Box of OBF in India, held on the sidelines of the official launch of the report Navigating Outcomes-Based Financing in India: Perceptions of the Not-for-Profits. This summary includes key insights, recommendations, and action points discussed during the roundtable session. It captures all participants' valuable contributions and perspectives, highlighting our collective efforts to understand Not-Profit's perceptions towards OBF, determine the support they need, and devise strategies to address their concerns.
This report documents the discussions and insights gained from a round table organised by ISDM’s Centre for Innovative Finance and Social Impact (CIFSI) during the formal launch of the centre. The report delves into the perspectives of various stakeholders about the challenges, opportunities and potential for innovative finance in India.
While this journey has its challenges, the prospect of transforming lives and communities is significant Funding for social development has always been a formidable challenge, with private investors often being reluctant owing to perceived risks and low returns.
Innovative finance requires rigorous data collection to take evidence-based decisions, performance management, and assess the impact of private funding to the social sector.
ISDM created a comprehensive eligibility portal for the Social Stock Exchange (SSE) together with the SEBI. The objective of the portal is to help non-profit organisations determine their eligibility and requirements to apply at the SSE platform