From Funding to Convening: A New Role for Philanthropy in Animal Welfare

As we set out to build the India Animal Welfare Forum (IAWF), one insight became increasingly clear: India’s animal welfare ecosystem is not lacking in commitment, it is often lacking in connection.

Across the country, organisations and individuals are working tirelessly across different areas — from community animal care and wildlife conservation to policy, veterinary science to farmed animal advocacy, community mobilisation to innovation. Yet much of this work happens in silos, with limited opportunities to come together, exchange perspectives, and build shared solutions.

At the same time, the challenges we are trying to address are deeply interconnected. Animal welfare today sits at the intersection of public health, urban systems, climate, biodiversity, and community engagement. Progress requires not only strong individual efforts, but also intentional collaboration across sectors.

Beyond Funding: Rethinking the Role of Philanthropy

Philanthropy has traditionally been seen as a source of funding, supporting organisations and enabling programmes to scale. While this role remains critical, it is no longer sufficient on its own.

There is an opportunity for philanthropy to play a more catalytic role:

• Convening diverse stakeholders who may not otherwise engage

• Creating neutral platforms for dialogue and exchange

• Surfacing shared challenges and opportunities

• Enabling partnerships, not just individual interventions

In complex sectors like animal welfare, where progress depends on coordination across multiple actors, this convening role can be as important as funding itself.

Still from the first Main Plenary session

Why We Built the India Animal Welfare Forum

At Upadhyaya Foundation, this thinking led to the creation of the India Animal Welfare Forum.

IAWF was not designed as a traditional conference, but as a platform for the ecosystem. One that could bring together NGOs and grassroots practitioners, philanthropies and funders, innovators and technologists, as well as policymakers and sector leaders

The goal was to create a space for meaningful engagement where stakeholders could better understand each other’s work, exchange ideas, and explore opportunities for collaboration.

Still from the NGO showcases.

Designing for Collaboration, Not Just Participation

If convening is to be meaningful, it must be designed intentionally. A few principles shaped how we built IAWF:

• Multiple Entry Points for Different Stakeholders: We structured simultaneous sessions across sub-sectors to ensure relevance for different audiences, whether someone was coming from wildlife, community animals, policy, or innovation.

• Shared Value Across the Room: We aimed to ensure that sessions were not siloed in their appeal. Each session was designed to offer takeaways for multiple stakeholder groups, not just one.

• Centering NGO Voices: It was important that NGOs working in different geographies and at different scales had space to showcase their work, insights, and on-ground realities, not just be spoken about.

• Enabling Funder Engagement: Using our network as a fellow philanthropy, we created opportunities for funders to actively participate by asking questions, sharing priorities, and engaging directly with organisations.

• Bringing Diverse Perspectives Together: We were intentional about who was on stage together. Panels were designed to bring in different lenses because meaningful dialogue often emerges from contrast, not uniformity.

• Designing for Informal Exchange: Some of the most valuable moments at any convening happen outside formal sessions. We prioritized networking and informal interaction, recognizing that many collaborations begin through conversation, not programming.

  
  

NGO booths

A Starting Point, Not an Endpoint

What emerged at IAWF was encouraging. Conversations took place between stakeholders who had not previously interacted. Funders discovered organisations they had not encountered before. There was a clear appetite for deeper engagement across the ecosystem.

But platforms like IAWF are not the end goal. They are enablers.

Their real value lies in what follows — the partnerships formed, the ideas explored further, and the collaborations that continue beyond the room.

If philanthropy can move from funding alone to also convening by creating the conditions for connection and collaboration, it can help strengthen not just individual organisations, but the ecosystem as a whole.

And in a sector as complex and interconnected as animal welfare, that shift may be essential for driving meaningful, long-term change.