India has emerged as a leader in outcomes-based financing (OBF) in South Asia, with a growing number of initiatives in education, health and skilling. This shift reflects a broader paradigm change in the social sector where accountability to end outcomes is gaining primacy over traditional input-driven funding models. In this scenario, a critical question arises: how prepared are Indian nonprofits to deliver and demonstrate the outcomes of their interventions and participate in OBF?
While there is growing interest in outcomes-based approaches, the sector’s readiness to adopt and sustain them varies widely. Recognising this, a collaborative effort was undertaken to develop an Outcomes Readiness (OR) framework and diagnostic tool to assess nonprofit capabilities across areas such as program design and delivery, monitoring and evaluation, budgeting, and organisational culture. This masterclass builds on insights from that research, offering a structured space for nonprofits to understand the concept of OR, reflect on their own organisational practices, and explore practical steps to strengthen their preparedness for outcomes-focused work.

Relevance
As outcomes-oriented funding gains traction, even within traditionally input-based grant models, nonprofits are increasingly expected to articulate, deliver, and demonstrate their end outcomes. However, capabilities to support this shift remain uneven across the sector. Many organisations are grappling with how to translate outcomes orientation into institutionalised practice.
This masterclass is timely and relevant for nonprofit leaders who are navigating this evolving landscape. It is designed to:

• Introduce the concept of Outcomes Readiness and build an understanding of its relevance.
• Demonstrate how OR principles can be applied in practice, through examples shared by peer nonprofits who have embedded outcomes-focused approaches in their work.
• Create space for individual and organisational reflection, enabling participants to identify practical entry points and priorities for strengthening their outcomes readiness.

Key sub-themes:

• Overview of outcomes-based financing
• Outcomes Readiness Framework
• The foundational role of outcomes culture in enabling sustained outcomes readiness. The discussion will unpack its three core components -performance culture, learning culture, innovation culture -and why these matter.
• A deep dive into how outcomes culture can be embedded within an organisation’s systems and routines through three key capability areas: Monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL), program management and delivery, human resource systems.

About the Facilitator:

Dr. Priyanshi Chauhan, Senior Research Associate, Indian School of Development Management
Priyanshi is a Senior Research Associate at ISDM, where she drives research on innovative finance and outcomes-based financing. Her work focuses on advancing the field of innovative finance by designing tools, building evidence, and developing strategies that help unlock catalytic capital for the social sector. She holds a PhD in International Development, with a research focus on the gender in clean energy transition in South Asia and was awarded the Sylff Fellowship by the Tokyo Foundation for her doctoral work. Her academic work has spanned clean energy access, gender equity, and development finance.

Anushree Parekh, Associate Director, British Asian Trust
Anushree leads the social finance team at the Trust and brings over 15 years of experience in corporate social responsibility, public policy and not-for-profit sectors in India and the UK. Prior to joining British Asian Trust, Anushree led impact advisory at Waterfield Advisors, a boutique multi-family office designing philanthropic, social finance and impact investment strategies for clients. Before that, she spent eight years at Samhita Social Ventures, a leading social impact consulting firm in India, establishing and leading its impact assessment and strategy verticals. She spent four years in public policy research at New Policy Institute in London. Anushree is passionate about leveraging the role of the private sector to achieve sustainable development by facilitating symbiotic relationships between society, government, and markets. She holds an MSc. in Development Studies from School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London and BA (Hons) in Economics from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai.

Sneha Arora, Chief Executive Officer, Atma
Sneha serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Atma and brings over 16 years of experience across management consulting, corporate finance and the development sector. She leads the fundraising, branding and governance verticals at Atma, focusing on driving Atma’s growth as a pan-India capacity builder enabling small and mid-sized NGOs across sectors and states to sustain and grow. Sneha was selected to be an Acumen India Fellow in 2022 and an American Express Leadership Academy South Asia Fellow in 2024. Previously, Sneha worked at Boston Consulting Group’s Social Impact practice and has experience in supporting large-scale transformation projects in Education and Water with State governments in India. She also serves as an advisory member on Tapasya’s board. Sneha holds an MBA in Finance from the Indian School of Business.