Animal welfare in India sits at the intersection of public health, climate resilience, livelihoods, and sustainable development yet it continues to receive just 1.5% of corporate CSR funding. At a time when the country is rethinking how development is funded and delivered, the India Animal Welfare Forum (IAWF) will bring together the people shaping the future of this under-supported sector. Scheduled for 31st January 2026 in Mumbai, IAWF is a first-of-its-kind national convening designed to strengthen animal welfare as a serious, strategic development priority. The Forum will gather philanthropists, NGOs, researchers, policymakers, technologists, movement builders and media in one room, many of whom rarely intersect, creating space for shared learning, honest conversations, and long-term collaboration.
Hosted by the Upadhyaya Foundation, IAWF goes beyond discussion to focus on action. It will mark the launch of the INR 13 Crore India Animal Welfare Funding Circle, a collective of philanthropists supporting initiatives across the country. The Forum will spotlight high-impact models, emerging research, and practical solutions across the animal welfare spectrum, from community animals and farmed animals to wildlife conservation, human-wildlife coexistence, and policy reform. Participants will engage with evidence-backed approaches, innovative funding mechanisms, and scalable interventions that have the potential to transform how animal welfare is supported in India.
“Animals, like us, are children nurtured by mother Earth. Societal progress is incomplete without the shared wellbeing of all our sentient siblings. Animal welfare is not an isolated charity; it is a critical pillar of holistic growth that dictates how our cities breathe, how our ecosystems function, and how our communities find balance.” said Brinda Upadhyaya, Co-founder of Upadhyaya Foundation. “The India Animal Welfare Forum is designed to bridge the gaps between funders and practitioners, data and narrative ensuring that our path forward is inclusive of every life, moving us toward a future of clarity, confidence, and collective strength.”
The Forum’s agenda reflects the diversity and complexity of the sector. Parallel tracks will explore wildlife and habitat loss, farmed animal welfare, coexistence models, technology and AI applications, public narratives, reptile conservation, and recent legal developments shaping animal welfare governance, including a session on Supreme Court directives on street dogs in
Delhi. Together, these conversations aim to provide a comprehensive view of both the challenges and the opportunities ahead.
“In India, where animal welfare faces layered challenges from stray overpopulation and urban cruelty to wildlife poaching, bringing NGOs, funders, researchers, and veterinary institutions onto a single platform is critical,” said Mr. Nawshir Mirza, Trustee of FIAPO (Federation of India Animal Protection Organisations) and Mentor of AMTM (Animal Matter To Me). “Such collaboration bridges gaps between grassroots realities and data-driven solutions, enables funders to direct resources more effectively, and encourages innovation in areas like disease control, sterilisation, and emergency care. A unified forum also reduces duplication, strengthens advocacy for laws such as the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, and amplifies public awareness accelerating progress toward humane policies and sustainable conservation amid rapid urbanisation”, he added.
By convening diverse stakeholders and amplifying underrepresented perspectives, the India Animal Welfare Forum seeks to shift animal welfare from the margins of philanthropy to its mainstream by encouraging more informed, intentional, and sustained investment of multiple formats in the sector.
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