stablished in 1996 Sampradaan Indian Centre for Philanthropy (SICP) is a national non-profit registered society whose vision is a compassionate and caring culture in which resources are shared willingly and on a regular basis to create a socially responsible and just society.
It aims to promote and strengthen Indian philanthropy by motivating all sections of society to go beyond giving of alms in charity to the giving of money, time, talent, skills and other resources for bringing about social change and progress; and by assisting donors to make informed choices so as to ensure that charitable funds have a maximum impact.
SICP acts as an intermediary between donors and those who utilize resources; and between government and civil society. It works to achieve its objectives through research, documentation and dissemination of information; workshops and conferences; advocacy with government; and by acting as a resource centre.
The need for the Centre was articulated by key players of the development sector at a workshop organised by Ms. Pushpa Sundar and Dr. M.B. Athreya in collaboration with Partners in Change, New Delhi, in December 1995.
The workshop concluded that:
There is a need to promote plural sources of funds for welfare and development. Therefore, private indigenous funds have to be mobilised to supplement government and foreign assistance. Despite a long and distinguished tradition of philanthropy in India, there is inadequate contribution to organised charity due to a lack of public awareness. A number of factors such as lack of information, professional advice and support, and the absence of a national forum for interaction between those engaged in philanthropic activities, contribute to why this is so.
The workshop, therefore, recommended the establishment of a national forum to catalyse, promote and support philanthropic endeavour. SICP was founded by ten individuals, eminent in different fields, to motivate people and organisations to be more charitable and to ensure more efficient utilisation of charitable resources through a professional approach to giving.
SICP is registered under the Societies Registration Act of 1860 (No. 29534 of 1996), under section 12(a) of Income Tax Act, 1961 (Registration No. 184/96-97), under section 80G of the Income Tax Act, 1961, and under Sec 6 (1) of the Foreign Contributions (Regulation) Act 1976 (No.231650928).
Donors to SICP are eligible to set off 50% of their contributions against their income tax, under 80.G
