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Making data protection compliance practical, contextual, and responsible

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Data Protection Compliance for Non-profits

Pacta works with social impact organisations to navigate

Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act (2023) and Rules (2025) compliance in ways that are legally sound, ethically grounded, and proportionate to risk, without diverting energy away from mission.

Access Pacta's DPDP specific offerings here

Pacta's Legal and Strategic Support for Navigating the DPDP Act

Policy engagement and research

Open knowledge resources

Advisory and Capacity building

Or scroll down for a comprehensive overview of our DPDP implementation and ecosystem support

The Context and Our Role

Why DPDP matters for the social sector?

India’s Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act and Rules mark a significant shift in how organisations collect, use, and govern personal data. For non-profits and social impact organisations, this shift comes with unique challenges—working with sensitive populations, limited resources, complex funder mandates, and evolving digital systems.

For Whom Is Pacta’s DPDP Work Most Relevant?

  • Non-profits working with children, persons with disabilities, survivors, or marginalised communities

  • Organisations handling beneficiary data, case records, or digital service delivery

  • Funders and intermediaries seeking DPDP-compliant grantee ecosystems

  • NGOs adopting new digital tools, M&E/ MIS systems, or AI-enabled platform

Pacta's non-profit-first approach to data protection is shaped by three core beliefs:

Compliance is not neutral: The same law lands very differently on large institutions and resource-constrained non-profits.

Context matters: Data protection practices must reflect organisational purpose, scale, risk, and the realities of frontline work.

The spirit of the law matters as much as the letter: DPDP is not only about documentation, but about data rights, dignity, and accountability.

Our work therefore goes beyond checklist compliance to help organisations build responsible, durable data practices.

Pacta’s DPDP Engagement Framework

Policy engagement and research

1. Policy Engagement

    and Sector Feedback

Pacta actively engages with data protection law and policy from the perspective of civil society.

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Our work includes:

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  • Providing feedback on the DPDP Act and Rules from a non-profit and social sector lens

  • Highlighting risks, gaps, and unintended consequences for non-profits and rights-based organisations

  • Thought leadership on data rights, consent, and accountability

 

This ensures that non-profit and civil society realities are visible in evolving data governance frameworks.

2. Data Privacy Research

​Pacta’s data privacy research advances inclusive and rights-based approaches to consent and data protection.​​

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Open knowledge resources

3. Open knowledge

     resources

Pacta is committed to making DPDP understanding accessible.

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These resources are designed for:

  • Founders and leadership teams

  • Programme and operations staff

  • M&E, data, and fundraising teams

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We have published:

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  • A series of blogs unpacking DPDP compliance for non-profits - Pulse by Pacta– a monthly legal and policy digest published by Pacta, offering short, accessible insights on technology law, social sector regulation, and compliance

  • A DPDP Primer for Non-profits, offering a consolidated and practical introduction to the law

  • DPDP Act Toolkits and Templates such as the self-audit tool

  • AI Governance Resources – A primer to equip NPO leaders with implementable strategies to mitigate legal and ethical risks from using AI.

Advisory and Capacity building

4. Capacity Building &

     Learning Spaces

We design and facilitate DPDP capacity-building workshops tailored to non-profit contexts.​

 

Our engagements include:

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  • Workshop for partner organisations of Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies

  • Sessions with Central Square Foundation partner organisations

  • Learning Spaces focused on practical interpretation of DPDP obligations

 

These sessions focus on:

  • DPDP requires in practice

  • What matters most for non-profits

  • Common misconceptions and over-compliance risks

  • Practical decision-making under uncertainty

5. DPDP Advisory &

     Compliance Support

Pacta has supported 10+ non-profit and social impact organisations in setting up DPDP-compliant systems and processes.​​

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Our advisory work typically includes:

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  • Mapping data flows and identifying personal and sensitive data

  • Assessing risks based on scale, purpose, and beneficiary context

  • Drafting and reviewing DPDP-related policies and notices

  • Advising on consent, data retention, grievance redressal, and vendor management

  • Supporting internal role clarity and decision-making

 

We work closely with organisations to ensure compliance is proportionate, realistic, and implementable. Some organisations we have worked with: ARMAAN, ARGHYAM, Piramal, BAT

Where Are You in Your DPDP Compliance Journey?

Select the stage that best reflects your current position, and explore relevant engagement options here

Beginning Your DPDP Journey

If you are newly engaging with the DPDP Act and seeking conceptual clarity, access our open knowledge resources and research insights

Assessing Your Current Readiness

If you are familiar with the law and would like to evaluate your organisation’s preparedness, use our DPDP self-audit tool

Seeking Strategic Compliance Measures

If you are actively designing or strengthening your compliance framework, write to us to explore DPDP advisory support

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