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“Philanthropy Should Drive Community Capacity Building”
Juhi Chakraborty
At AVPN Global Conference 2026, Dr Priti G Adani, Chairperson of the Adani Foundation, called for philanthropy to move beyond short-term relief and instead invest in institutions, skills and systems that make impact endure.
Philanthropy’s next frontier is not simply to fund more programmes, but to build the capacity that allows communities to create and sustain change themselves, said Dr Priti G Adani, Chairperson of the Adani Foundation, at the AVPN Global Conference 2026 in New Delhi on 25 August.
Speaking at the welcome dinner at Bharat Mandapam, Dr Adani called for a decisive shift from funding survival to “Capital for Capacity”, arguing that India’s development journey now demands a more strategic approach to giving.
“With domestic giving and social capital at historic highs, our challenge is not scarcity of funds — it is a challenge of strategic allocation,” she said. The next era of philanthropy, she added, must focus on behavioural change, institution building, skills, innovation, climate action and stronger social systems.
AVPN CEO Naina Subberwal Batra with Dr Priti G Adani, Mrs Shilin Adani and Adani Foundation CEO Abhishek Lakhtakia.
AVPN representatives welcoming Dr Priti G Adani and Mrs Shilin Adani at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.
Dr Priti G Adani and Mrs Shilin Adani interacting with participants at the AVPN Global Conference 2026.
Dr Priti G Adani at the welcome dinner at Bharat Mandapam.
The call comes as India’s development story enters a new phase, with the country working towards the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047. Dr Adani said India should no longer be viewed primarily through the scale of its needs, but through “the scale of our ambition, the speed of our transformation and the energy of our people”.
Grassroots entrepreneurship, local innovation and skill development are increasingly driving this transformation, she said. India now has more than 200,000 recognised startups, with innovation spreading beyond major cities into smaller towns and villages. The response to Vande Bharatam, a nationwide initiative to identify innovative ideas for India, reinforced this trend, with more than 26,000 applications.
Yet, Dr Adani cautioned that rapid technological and economic progress must not deepen existing inequalities. Artificial intelligence can compress decades of progress into years, she noted, but unequal access could widen the gap between those who benefit and those who are left behind.
Dr Adani referred to a farmer, Kiran Harinkhede, from Maharashtra whose participation in the Foundation’s livestock and dairy programme increased her income, enabling her to support her children’s higher education.
“Philanthropy is not about changing people’s lives. It is about giving them the leverage to change their own. Viksit Bharat will not be built by larger budgets alone — it will be built by stronger institutions,” she said, adding that the measure of development must be greater freedom and opportunity.