Enabling structured collaboration between public systems and civil society to solve complex development challenges.
Across contexts, lasting impact at population scale has consistently emerged through strong public systems. As a result, one of the most effective ways to drive large-scale change is by strengthening the government’s ability to collaborate effectively with external partners.
The Idea Behind Samanvay
Samanvay was created around a simple but powerful premise: complex public system challenges require structured collaboration between government institutions and credible non-profit partners.
Governments bring scale, legitimacy, and institutional reach.
NGOs bring innovation, community insights, and flexible problem-solving approaches.
When these strengths are intentionally aligned, they can produce solutions that are practical, implementable and scalable within public systems.
Key questions persist:
- What do governments actually need in order to work effectively with non-profits?
- Why do NGOs, even when backed by strong evidence, struggle to operate within public systems?
- And what role should philanthropy play in enabling these partnerships to succeed at scale?
How It Works
With Governments:
While public institutions are increasingly welcoming NGO expertise, the problem statements are often broad, leaving NGOs to infer intent and retrofit solutions almost guaranteeing misalignment.
We deliberate with government departments to support sharper problem definition, measurable priorities, and structured pathways for collaboration
With NGOs:
NGOs face a parallel constraint. While many bring deep technical expertise and strong evidence, they are often challenged by the institutional complexity of government. As a result, strong solutions fail not because they lack merit, but because they struggle to fit the systems they seek to change.
We engage strategically with our partners to think about scale even when it’s a pilot. To think about adoption within government frameworks. And, to build on top of existing systems without rewiring the process flow.
Operating at the intersection of evidence, policy, and implementation, Samanvay works to close this gap – creating the connection that enables trust, alignment, and scale.
Our 1st Cohort
The first cohort of Samanvay is in partnership with the Government of Uttar Pradesh, where eight NGO partners are working alongside three state departments to co-create and refine solutions across priority problem statements.
At its core, Samanvay functions as an institutional mechanism grounded in shared problem-solving.
Department of Women and Child Development
Department of Labour
Department of Vocational Education and Skill Development
