India: Where philanthropy, like cricket, is a team sport

The lunchroom conversations at the India offices of the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation are often dominated by cricket. An office-wide cricket game is the mainstay of our annual team events. Our team carries strong opinions on game strategy, player performance and favorite teams.  Most arguments never end in agreement. This is because cricket is a complex team sport wherein each player has a unique but critical role to play. And the magic happens when the team comes together as one unit with each player being the best at what they do, whether it is the bowler, batsman, or the all-rounder.

In our eyes, the task of improving the lives of the urban poor in India is also a team sport. At the center of it all - the captain of the cricket team - are the entrepreneurs we work with. As venture philanthropists, we play a variety of roles, with an undeterred mission of winning the match and defeating urban poverty. And the different philanthropic roles we play are analogous to what happens in a cricket field:

• The Opening Batsman: We specialise in funding bold early-stage ideas and backing entrepreneurs well before others. Opening to bat is a risky endeavor, but if ones gets it right, it could be the role that clinches the game.
  
  Consider the foundation's investment in IntelleGrow, a venture-debt company providing loans to social enterprises in India. Today, IntelleGrow has a $30 million loan book, having provided critical debt capital to more than 75 early stage social enterprises. Not only was the foundation one of the earliest institutional investors to back IntelleGrow, but we made the move when the venture-debt market for social enterprises was nonexistent and unproven.
  

• The Pinch Hitter: We help entrepreneurs scale their ideas, in a big way. Pinch hitters can help turn around a game very quickly as their shots are calculated but they always hit the ball out of the park.
  
  A good example of our role as a pinch hitter is the foundation's partnership with Reddy's Foundation (DRF). When we first partnered with DRF, the organisation was running a pilot job training program for marginalised youth that was yielding strong results. Seeing this, we backed DRF with significant growth funding - $6 million over six years - to scale their model nationally. Today, DRF is India's leading non-profit job training provider for low-income youth, operating more than 300 training centers across the country.
• The Coach: Often not seen, and never in the field, the coach brings the team together and builds the right coalition for winning not just the game, but the tournament.
  
  The foundation's role as coach is epitomised by our work with state governments to achieve large-scale system transformation in education and skill development. Take for instance, the foundation's partnership with the government of Haryana where we have assembled a diverse team of stakeholders all working collectively to dramatically improve quality of learning within the government schools in the state.
  
• The All-Rounder: An all-rounder can bat, bowl, field and even keep the wicket. To win, every team needs an all-rounder who can step-up and play the role that is the need of the hour.
  
  The foundation has distinguished itself as a funding all-rounder, doing whatever is necessary in helping our portfolio organisations succeed, and having developed the diverse funding tools needed to do so. A great illustration of this role is when we stepped up to provide a loan to LabourNet during a period when the company had demonstrated impressive growth but needed further debt capital to accelerate its mission. As an all-rounder, we have developed the capacity to deploy the most appropriate funding tool whether it is debt, equity, or grants, to help our partners succeed.

We want to help you solve big problems (and win big matches!)

Through our decade of work in India, we have realised we are good team players, but our success rests on the shoulders of the amazing entrepreneurs we have supported. And we are on the hunt for more. If you are out there working to solve tough problems in education, jobs and financial inclusion, then the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation wants to help you succeed, whatever it takes.  Click here for more information about how you could be one of our next cricket ‘captains’ or partner entrepreneurs. Will you be one of them? If you are ready, apply here.