Philanthropy Asia Alliance grows India network and backs locally proven projects built to scale

2026-09-02 08:58:14 News & Society

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2 September 2026 — Philanthropy Asia Alliance (PAA), a Temasek Trust initiative dedicated to catalysing collaborative philanthropy across Asia, today announced that Dasra will join the Alliance as a network partner. PAA and its funder members separately confirmed support for two India-based impact ventures, Rocket Learning and Frontier Innovations, to scale locally developed solutions in early childhood education and women’s economic empowerment.

The two announcements deepen PAA’s engagement in India, a priority market within its Asia-focused mandate, bringing fresh expertise and partnerships into its network while directing philanthropic capital towards programmes that have demonstrated potential to scale.

Shaun Seow, CEO of PAA, said, "India is solving some of the hardest social and environmental challenges, and many of those solutions are ready to work well beyond home. PAA's role is to bring our members' funding and networks into India, while giving Indian organisations a route into partnerships across the rest of Asia and the Global South. By deepening those connections, we can help proven models reach millions more people."

New network partner

Dasra brings a wide grassroots network built through years of advising Indian philanthropic families, foundations, nonprofits and wealth advisers, alongside a growing focus on domestic and diaspora giving. The partnership with PAA opens a bridge between that network, including Dasra's GivingPi family philanthropy platform and PAA's reach in Southeast Asia, with joint convenings planned through platforms including Dasra Philanthropy Week and the India Philanthropy Forum.

“India is not only a destination for philanthropic capital. Its communities and social sector leaders have built knowledge and approaches that can inform solutions far beyond the country. Through our partnership with PAA, these voices can play a stronger role in shaping how philanthropy responds to challenges across Asia and the Global South,” said Neera Nundy, Co-founder and Partner, Dasra.

Dasra joins PAA's network of over 110 funder members, network and programme partners from across the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe and the West Asia. Existing Indian members include Aditya Birla Education Trust, Shiv Nadar Foundation and Bharti Airtel Foundation.

Funding two proven Indian ventures

India is home to one of the world's largest social enterprise ecosystems, with close to two million social enterprises developing solutions to challenges spanning education, livelihoods, health and other areas.

PAA is backing two ventures whose results are already visible in classrooms and in rural markets, providing catalytic capital to help extend their reach within India and beyond.

Rocket Learning is one of India’s largest early learning nonprofits focused on transforming early childhood and foundational learning outcomes at scale. It delivers early learning to families over WhatsApp, in local languages, shaped by AI-driven personalisation, with in-person training for preschool educators and behavioural nudges for parents.

Nearly 85% of a child's brain develops before the age of six, making that early window critical. An independent MIT-JPAL evaluation found that 80% of children in the programme were ready for school by six, against a national average of 50%. In five years, the programme has reached six million children across 15 states and union territories, with a target of 50 million underserved children by 2030.

With PAA's funding, the model expands in Uttar Pradesh and Odisha, among India's most under-resourced states for early learning, and into Southeast Asia for the first time. Philanthropic funding helps bridge gaps in existing support, with the model designed to complement public childcare systems rather than depend on a single grant.

Frontier Innovations' She Leads Bharat: Udyam, a profit-and-purpose model, connects rural women shopkeepers and entrepreneurs with India’s leading rural commerce platform, using its AI-powered app, Meri Saheli. Micro and small women-owned businesses use the app to sell online alongside their physical shopfronts, reaching more customers and improving margins. The app also opens access to credit and delivers farming supplies and basic medicines to communities that often sit a difficult distance from the nearest shop or bank.

Frontier Innovations' model has already reached more than 50,000 women across four states, delivering 100 million solutions to 4.3 million rural people. Together, this has generated US$10 million in additional income, with individual earnings rising by 100% within participants' first year.

PAA's funding carries the model into Tier 5 and Tier 6 villages, India's smallest and most remote, in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat. This new phase targets a 300% increase in income for 10,000 rural women within a year. Frontier Innovation is targeting 300,000 households by 2028, aiming to sustain the model through government and private-sector partnerships beyond this round of support.

Taken together, the new partnership and the two funded ventures build on programmes PAA already runs in climate, health and inclusive development nationally. Local expertise, philanthropic funding and cross-sector partnership now stand behind two models proven in India. Helping these solutions reach new geographies, including Southeast Asia and eventually the wider Global South, is the next test the Alliance can help meet.

About PAA

Philanthropy Asia Alliance (PAA) is a Temasek Trust initiative dedicated to catalysing collaborative philanthropy in Asia through dynamic multi-sector partnerships. By harnessing collective strengths, PAA multiplies impact, accelerates positive change, and takes urgent action to address the pressing environmental and social challenges of our time. PAA’s flagship programme is the annual Philanthropy Asia Summit. For more information, visit philanthropyasiaalliance.org.

About Dasra

Dasra, meaning ‘enlightened giving’ in Sanskrit, is a strategic philanthropic organisation working towards an India where a billion people thrive with dignity and equity. Founded in 1999 as a venture philanthropy fund, Dasra has evolved into a systems orchestrator that brings together funders, nonprofits and other stakeholders to address complex social challenges. Since its inception, Dasra has engaged 1,200+ funders, mobilised $475 million in philanthropic capital and supported 2,600+ organisations. Today, Dasra strengthens organisations and leaders, builds philanthropy infrastructure, and unlocks knowledge and long-term capital to advance lasting equity.

About Rocket Learning

Rocket Learning is one of India's largest early learning non-profits focused on transforming early childhood and foundational learning outcomes at scale. Eighty five percent of brain development happens before the age of six, making early learning extremely critical. By leveraging technology, behavioural insights and strong government partnerships, Rocket Learning empowers parents, teachers and frontline educators to drive measurable improvements in children’s learning. Working directly with government systems across 15 states and union territories and 200+ districts, within 5 years the organisation has impacted 6 million children between birth to 6 years of age across 500,000 classrooms, including 400,000 Anganwadi Educators. Empowering parents and Anganwadi educators, Rocket Learning is driving high-impact, data-driven interventions that strengthen foundational literacy and numeracy. Through responsible use of AI and digital innovation, Rocket Learning is striving to make quality early education accessible, inclusive and effective for every child, with an aim to positively impact 50 million underserved children by 2030. https://rocketlearning.org/

About Frontier Innovations

Frontier Innovations Foundation is a global foundation dedicated to supporting last-mile access solutions for communities in rural India. Our flagship initiative, She Leads Bharat, puts rural women at the centre of their own economic growth. Where most traditional philanthropy works in silos — health, or education, or climate — She Leads Bharat has established a trusted women's ecosystem to deliver them all. At its heart is the AI-enabled Meri Saheli App, developed and managed by our specialist implementation partner, Frontier Markets: India's leading rural commerce platform, which enables every rural woman entrepreneur to create a multi-category digital storefront. Together we identify, train, and equip a growing network of Rural Women Entrepreneurs (“Sahelis”) with digital tools, financial literacy, and enterprise hand-holding enabling them to provide a growing bundle of services: essential goods, agri-inputs, finance, climate insurance, healthcare, education.