Odisha-born Santanu Mishra was honored with the prestigious “Sustainability Leader of the Year” award by IBM at the UBS Forum Sustainability Summit & Awards 2023 in Mumbai. Mishra was recognized for his pioneering work in introducing the concept of Social Venture Philanthropy (SVP) in the development sector. SVP is an adaptation of the venture capital model for social investment, aiming to achieve scalability and sustainability in charitable giving. Santanu Mishra, the Executive Trustee of Smile Foundation, emphasized the potential of local community-based organizations (CBOs) in driving grassroots change. He also highlighted the importance of providing guidance and support to social entrepreneurs to enable their success in serving the nation. Mishra, a management strategist and legal consultant, completed his education at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. In addition to SVP, he initiated the Empowering Grassroots program to build capacities of genuine grassroots initiatives through workshops and training programs. Santanu Mishra has personally mentored and advised numerous social entrepreneurs, contributing to the growth of over 1,000 grassroots organizations through Smile Foundation’s partnerships.