Whether motivated by compliance, legacy, or personal conviction, Institutional funders, CSR foundations, and Next Gen philanthropists are increasingly seeking ways to make their giving more strategic, measurable, and transformative. Yet many grapple with the “how” - how to prioritize among issues, build sustainable partnerships, and shift from funding activities to solving systemic problems. At the same time, there is growing recognition that collaboration across funders is essential to address complex challenges at scale.
Drawing from LGT Venture Philanthropy’s experience of adopting a venture philanthropy approach since 2007 to support nonprofits across health, education, and the environment in India and Africa, this session will introduce practical strategies that can be adopted by various stakeholders to become more intentional in their giving.

Relevance:
This session is especially relevant to:
• CSR leaders aiming to maximize long-term impact within limited budgets, internal capacity and compliance constraints
• Philanthropic foundations rethinking their giving strategy to focus on systemic outcomes
• Next Gen HNIs and family offices looking to move beyond ad hoc giving and establish their philanthropic identity and approach
• NGOs looking to build multi-year, strategic partnerships and align their programs with a systems change approach
In an environment where funders are called to be more collaborative, catalytic, and strategic, this masterclass provides a structured framework and tested tools to help make that shift.

Key Sub-Themes to Be Covered:

• Strategic vs. Responsive Giving: Shifting the mindset and the method
• LGT VP’s 8-Step Framework to Strategic Philanthropy: From values to systems change
• Your Value-Add as a Funder: Capital is one tool, what else do you bring?
• From Projects to Portfolios: Structuring for scale, resilience, and long-term systems change
• Embedding Non-Financial Support: Capacity- building, sounding board, and networks
• From Gut to Grounded: Using Theory of Change and evidence-backed data in decision-making
• Collaborative Philanthropy in Action: Insights from funder partnerships and collective models
• Case Studies: Global and Indian examples of strategic partnerships (e.g., Educate Girls, ARMMAN), including LGT VP’s upcoming Early Childhood Development Solution Portfolio

About the Facilitator:

Supriya Balakrishnan, Investment Director and India Head at LGT Venture Philanthropy Foundation
Supriya Balakrishnan leads LGT Venture Philanthropy’s India strategy and investments, managing a portfolio of high-impact organizations across education, healthcare, and environment. She works closely with LGT VP’s global team to structure long- term, catalytic funding partnerships with non-profits that strengthen their organizational capacity and drive systems change. She has over a decade experience in venture philanthropy, social sector consulting and grant making. Prior to LGT VP, Supriya worked with organizations such as Tata Trusts, UNDP and Dasra. Supriya also spent her initial professional years in investment banking at JP Morgan, India.

Archish Gupta, Investment Manager at LGT Venture Philanthropy Foundation
Archish Gupta manages investments in non-profits across health, education, and environment at LGT VP. With a deep belief in the catalytic power of venture philanthropy, he works closely with non-profits to provide core-grant support and scale sustainable, systems-changing solutions. Prior to LGT VP, he held diverse roles across blended finance, impact investing, and corporate banking at organizations including IPE Global, NSDC, ICICI Bank, and Kotak. His cross-sectoral experience enables him to bridge the worlds of philanthropy and finance, with a focus on enabling long-term impact at scale.