Abstract: In the modern times income inequality has been a matter of concern depicting the existence of poverty. With this understanding economists focus on breaking the vicious circle of poverty by achieving the equitable distribution of income. Therefore, the policy formulation revolves around the principle of 'redistribution of income'. Philanthropy is one of the tools to fight the inequality. There are various actors involved in philanthropy such as donors, foundations and beneficiaries. This research paper focuses on the sources of social sector funding in India and brings out the details of those involved in the sector. The paper points out the involvement of corporates and key business figures through ‘family philanthropy’. Driving deep into the conceptual understanding of the area of research following are the objectives, To understand the currents trends in philanthropy in India. To analyse the contributions of philanthropists in driving social change. To evaluate the future potentialities to meet the social sector funding gap. Methodology: This study uses a qualitative content analysis method to examine the India Philanthropy Report from 2021 to 2025. The focus is on identifying key themes related to partnerships, funding strategies and stakeholder roles in the philanthropic sector. Relevant data is extracted from each annual report and organized according to predefined analytical categories. Patterns and trends are then compared across the five years to understand changes and continuities.
Soans et al. (2025) studied this question.