Dasra UK
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. Don't spend time on an approach; the similar funders below support the same kind of work.
Key takeaways
- Dasra UK's application method is by invitation only, and it finds organisations through its own databases and partner networks, so it does not accept unsolicited requests and a cold approach is unlikely to get anywhere.
- If your work is grassroots non-profit support, informal-worker support, child and youth development, or youth and women leadership, and you work in South Asia, which is its stated priority, your work may fit its stated themes.
- Where a conversation does happen, the annual report puts a typical grant at £9,500 to £17,000, with about 8 in 10 of its 18 grants to organisations falling in that band and a median of £9,500, but its largest grant was about £245,000, so that band is not a ceiling.
- Expect its due diligence to assess your aims, objectives, communities served and causes supported, and, if you are funded, to rely on your progress reports for monitoring.
Overview
Dasra UK is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1135538).
Dasra UK is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales that began as a venture philanthropy fund investing in early-stage non-profit organisations in India. It exists to advance equity by strengthening high-impact NGOs, maximising the effectiveness of philanthropic capital and enabling governments to better serve communities. Its named programmes are Grassroot Non-Profit Support, which gives grassroots NGOs long-term, flexible funding and tailored capacity building, and Activating Philanthropy, which brings together philanthropic families to engage, learn and take action.
What they fund
Priority Areas
It directs long-term, flexible funding and tailored capacity building to grassroots non-profits, especially proximate leaders driving local solutions to systemic challenges. Its stated areas of support also include informal-worker support, child and youth development, and youth and women leadership. It describes a wider role as a bridge between NGOs and funders, strengthening high-impact NGOs, improving the effectiveness of philanthropic capital and enabling government to better serve communities. Its approach is collaborative: it aims to amplify grassroots voices, align resources with need and strengthen organisations' institutional, programmatic and financial resilience. In child and youth development, it supports family-based care for vulnerable children; its informal-worker initiative brings businesses, civil society and other stakeholders together to advance workplace equity.
Themes
- Grassroots non-profit support
- Informal worker support
- Child and youth development
- Youth and women leadership
Geographic Focus
Priority: South Asia.
How to apply
The charity identifies non-profit organisations through its databases and partner networks, then conducts due diligence to confirm each organisation’s identity.
Application success factors
What the charity says:
- It assesses an organisation's aims, objectives, communities served and causes supported as part of its due diligence.
- Grant recipients submit progress reports that form the basis of grant monitoring.
Where they fund
Where it says it funds
- Afghanistan
- Bangladesh
- Bhutan
- India
- Maldives
- Nepal
- Pakistan
- Sri Lanka
Similar funders
Funders supporting work similar to Dasra UK.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 18 grants in year to 31 March 2025 by size
Median £9,500 (year to 31 March 2025)
The largest grants to organisations in this funder’s latest annual report:
- Impact Foundation (India)£243,500year to 31 March 2025
- RONGMEL NAGA BAPTIST ASSOCIATION£16,575year to 31 March 2025
- Voluntary Integration for Education and Welfare of Society (VIEWS)£16,083year to 31 March 2025
- Society for Rural & Initiatives in Sustainable & Holistic Themes in India (SRISHTI)£15,961year to 31 March 2025
- Samajik Seva Sadan£15,938year to 31 March 2025
- GUJARAT STATE WOMENS SEWA COOP FEDERATION LTD£15,807year to 31 March 2025
- Dakshin Foundation£15,271year to 31 March 2025
- Goranbose Gram Bikash Kendra (GGBK)£15,258year to 31 March 2025
Grant examples taken from the funder’s filed accounts.
Five years of accounts
| Financial year | Income | Expenditure | Grants paid | Accounts document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| year to 31 March 2021 | £64,000 | £26,591 | — | Accounts for year to 31 March 2021 |
| year to 31 March 2022 | £1,599,899 | £1,478,013 | £1,457,035 | Accounts for year to 31 March 2022 |
| year to 31 March 2023 | £330,016 | £71,679 | — | Accounts for year to 31 March 2023 |
| year to 31 March 2024 | £389,324 | £456,167 | — | Accounts for year to 31 March 2024 |
| year to 31 March 2025 | £345,531 | £512,039 | £447,567 | Accounts for year to 31 March 2025 |
Income vs grants paid
IncomeGrants paid
Total value each financial year
In 1 of the 2 years shown, grants paid exceeded income.
- Grants paid, year to 31 March 2022: grants to institutions, as reported on the charity register (Part B).
- Grants paid, year to 31 March 2025: the accounts do not say whether this is grants awarded or paid.
Figures from the charity’s filed accounts and its register entry. The document icon links to the charity’s entry on the Charity Commission register, where its filed accounts can be found.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
- dasrauk.org/what-we-do.php · read on 29 October 2026
- dasrauk.org · read on 29 October 2026
- dasrauk.org/about-us.php · read on 29 October 2026
- Annual report (year to 31 March 2025)
This profile draws on the funder’s own website as well as its filed accounts.
Sources last checked on 29 October 2026.
🎯 You've done the research. Now write an application they can't refuse.
Hinchilla combines funder's specific priorities with your organisation's past successful grants and AI analysis of what reviewers want to see.
Data privacy and security by default
Your organisation's past successful grants and experience
AI analysis of what reviewers want to see
A compelling draft application in 10 minutes instead of 10 hours
Spotted something that needs correcting? Let us know
At a glance
Applying to Dasra UK?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- Dasra UK, C/o GMSP Foundation, Regent House, Theobald Street, Borehamwood Herts, United Kingdom Post Code: WD6 4RSsource
- dasrauk.org
Applying to Dasra UK?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- Dasra UK, C/o GMSP Foundation, Regent House, Theobald Street, Borehamwood Herts, United Kingdom Post Code: WD6 4RSsource
- dasrauk.org