Earlier this month in Mumbai, a landmark moment unfolded as queer leaders, corporate trailblazers, and philanthropists gathered to confront one of the most urgent crises facing India’s LGBTQIA community: the chronic underfunding of essential queer initiatives.

In an unprecedented act of solidarity, Godrej Industries Group and The Keshav Suri Foundation, along with Radhika Piramal (Vice Chairperson of VIP Industries and Trustee at Dasra), in her personal capacity, launched the Pride Fund. This groundbreaking initiative directly challenges a stark reality: despite India being home to an estimated 140 million LGBTQIA individuals, the country receives less than 1% of global funding for queer causes.

With an initial investment of Rs 2 crore and a clear commitment to scaling annually, the Pride Fund sets out to revolutionise support for LGBTQIA advocacy by providing flexible, multi-year financial backing to NGOs focused on critical areas like rights, safety, employment, healthcare, and legal aid. But it doesn’t stop there.

The Pride Fund also seeks to redefine the relationship between corporate philanthropy and grassroots activism, ensuring that queer-led initiatives are not just supported, but empowered with the sustainable resources needed to drive lasting change.

Godrej’s commitment: turning hope into action for LGBTQIA rights

The launch of the Pride Fund is not just a response—it’s the result of a deep sense of urgency that can no longer be ignored. A sense of urgency was shared by the fund anchors, who together took the bold step to address the glaring gap in funding for grassroots queer initiatives in India.

The motivation behind the fund? A growing awareness of the sluggish pace of legislative and social change in India, compounded by the lack of corporate funding reaching the very organisations that are fighting for the rights of the LGBTQIA community at the grassroots level.

Commenting on the launch, Parmesh Shahani, Head of the Godrej DEI Lab, highlighted the Pride Fund’s pioneering role in India: “The Pride Fund marks a historic milestone — it is a first-of-its-kind initiative in India, created by queer community members for the community.

This fund reflects our shared vision of equity and inclusion by directly tackling the systemic barriers that have long........

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