While millions of Indians live with disabilities and thousands of nonprofits work to support them, disability issues continue to receive less than 1% of corporate social responsibility spending, creating a challenging environment for these organizations to thrive.
- Disability nonprofits receive less than 1% of CSR funding despite their scale.
- Government disability budgets remain low and lack transparency.
- Funders' evaluation criteria often don’t fit the slow, holistic nature of disability work.
What happened
India hosts millions of persons with disabilities supported by over 62,500 nonprofits specializing in early intervention, therapy, education, and advocacy. Despite this, disability receives just a tiny fraction of overall corporate social responsibility funds—only 0.9% of the CSR budget in 2022. This stark disparity reveals a gap between the critical work being done and the resources allocated to it.
Contributing to this disparity, government spending on disability-related programs remains extremely limited, with disability budgets representing approximately 0.04% of GDP. Few states and ministries provide clear data separated by disability, making it difficult for funders to prioritize sustained investment in this sector.
Why it feels good
Recognizing the unique challenges faced by disability nonprofits helps to explain why the current funding approach feels misaligned. Disability interventions often yield significant impacts that are gradual and qualitative, such as improved communication skills or changing societal attitudes, which don’t easily fit into standard measurement frameworks funders rely on.
Understanding this long-term, personalized nature of support engenders empathy and respect. It highlights that advancing disability inclusion isn’t just about quick results but requires dedicated commitment to holistic engagement that transforms individual lives, making success deeply meaningful for beneficiaries and communities.
What to enjoy or watch next
To break the cycle of underfunding, both funders and nonprofits must adopt strategies that better reflect the realities of disability work. Funders are encouraged to rethink evaluation criteria to appreciate longer-term, nuanced outcomes alongside building trust through stronger relationships with disability organizations.
Meanwhile, nonprofits can focus on strengthening organizational capacity to meet baseline governance and impact reporting standards, which will, in turn, boost funder confidence and open doors to more diverse funding opportunities. Together, these shifts can help create a more equitable funding environment that supports the vital mission of disability inclusion.