Bengaluru: Disability sector gets only 1% of CSR funds, says report

Bengaluru: Though close to 10% of non-profit organisations in India work towards the welfare of people with disabilities, they receive only close to 1% of overall Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds, a study by Pacta, a Bengaluru-based law firm and think tank has revealed.

The study surveyed 52 non-profit organisations (NPOs) across India working among people with disabilities, to better understand the barriers affecting long-term sustainability and scale.

Not just CSR funds, but government allocation for the sector has also been low.

"The combined Union and State disability budget amounts to close to 0.04% of GDP in 2024, well below OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries. Low budgets, combined with the absence of a systematic monitoring of disability-inclusion outcomes, signals a low strategic priority for disability by the government, and contributes to low philanthropic funding for disability in India," the report said.

Disability NPOs face a set of interlinked challenges that limit their access to funding. Many NPOs said that owing to low awareness, disability is often not recognised as a core funding area by funders. Many NPOs also lack networks, staff, and resources to engage funders and discover funding opportunities.

Difficulty in demonstrating impact is another major challenge. "Outcomes are long-term, qualitative, and multi-dimensional, and this makes it difficult to fit into standard metrics," the report noted.

The survey findings revealed that 50 out of 52 organisations reported difficulties demonstrating impact to funders, and nearly half said they did not have dedicated fundraising staff.

The lack of funds has reduced the impact these organisations can have in improving the living conditions of the disabled population.

The study outlines 10 pathways to strengthen disability funding ecosystems in India, including mainstreaming disability across education and livelihoods portfolios, expanding trust-based and multi-year funding models, strengthening matchmaking infrastructure between funders and disability organisations, and enforcing the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act's mandate for 5% reservation across government development schemes.