Understanding How Families Give: A Closer Look at Decision-making in Indian Family Philanthropy

India’s philanthropy ecosystem is growing alongside a sharp rise in private wealth, a stronger will to give, and families’ efforts to formalize how they manage their assets. This shift is prompting families to ask what their wealth stands for and what responsibilities accompany it. 

Produced with the support of the #LiftUpPhilanthropy Fund, an initiative of WINGS co-funded by the European Union, this whitepaper explores this critical juncture between wealth planning, which addresses how assets are structured and passed on, and wealth stewardship, which addresses purpose, values and legacy. Families typically have established support for the former but lack spaces and support to work through the latter, and family philanthropy sits at the intersection of the two. 

Drawing on interviews with advisors, foundation heads, philanthropists and family offices, the paper surfaces four patterns. Most families begin giving after a specific event in their lives, and the whitepaper looks at which events usually tend to influence family giving. The rationale behind the causes families choose to give versus the amounts they commit to give to are often decided in quite different ways. The paper also sheds light on decision making in family philanthropy, where participation might not always correspond with decision-making authority, and a family's chosen giving structure might arise from necessity. 

This whitepaper examines how families navigate the nuances of these patterns and suggests questions to help them begin these conversations. At the center of the research, lies one question: what enables family giving to become a lasting and intentional commitment?