What does it actually take to get funded as an NGO in India and why are so many organisations pitching the wrong funders entirely?

In this episode of Two Founders Walk Into, we sit down with Amit Antony Alex, Investment Director at Dovetail Impact Foundation, where he manages an international portfolio of social enterprises and impact organisations. Before Dovetail, Amit led investments at Upaya Social Ventures and headed enterprise grants at the UN Foundation's Clean Cooking Alliance giving him a rare vantage point from both sides of the funder-NGO relationship.

This conversation goes deep on the structural realities of philanthropy in India: why the sector is maturing but still has a long way to go, what the 10x startup culture is doing to nonprofits, and why the most honest thing a social entrepreneur can sometimes do is shut their organisation down.

Subscribe to our channel and never miss the latest episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@UCPichWEo9gwkwpABT8kgk9Q

Two Founders Walk Into Featured in FeedSpot's Top 25 Indian Leadership Podcasts

About Ajit Sivaram and Satish Manchikanti - They are the co-founders of U&I Trust and Change+.

About U&I - U&I is a nonprofit organization committed to transforming lives through education and community engagement. Our two core programs are U&I Teach and U&I Empower. U&I Teach provides after-school tutoring and mentorship to underprivileged children across India, helping bridge the education gap. U&I Empower creates volunteering opportunities for corporate employees, enabling them to give back through meaningful, impact-driven experiences. At the heart of U&I are our core values: #bethechange #bigaudaciousimpact and #inthistogether

About Change+ - The organization helps people become the leaders they’re meant to be. The leadership training journeys blend self-awareness, real-world practice, and people-first thinking, helping teams lead with clarity, confidence, and impact. From emerging managers to senior leaders, Change+ designs learning experiences that teach leadership.

Follow them on LinkedIn:

Ajit Sivaram - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajit4949/

Satish Manchikanti - https://www.linkedin.com/in/satish-manchikanti/

Visit our Website: https://uandi.org.in/

Volunteer With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/volunteer

Partner With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/csr

Work With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/hiring

Donate to our Cause: https://ui.danamojo.org/

Follow Us:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uandi.org.in/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/u&i-charity/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/uanditv

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/04ZaR7HIvmqL5iG9wAAdV4

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/two-founders-walk-into/id1806002327 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/0a5b4559-645c-4b99-a556-adef1fab97c7/two-founders-walk-into

Timestamps:

00:00 — What excites Amit about where India is heading 02:30 — India's growth story and the two Indias 06:21 — Three things India's philanthropic sector needs to fix 08:21 — The funder-NGO power imbalance, explained 15:33 — How nonprofits can build towards scale the right way 18:01 — The controversial case for closing your NGO 19:36 — AI and its real (vs. hyped) potential in the social sector 22:03 — Career advice for young people entering the social sector 26:32 — Should funders pay for salaries? Unrestricted funding explained 29:03 — One change that would transform the nonprofit sector in 10 years

#philanthropy #nonprofit #socialimpact #NGO #India #ImpactInvesting #TwoFoundersWalkInto #socialentrepreneur