Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: A quiet revolution in Indian philanthropy is reshaping the nation’s social fabric, with business leaders, technology icons, and global executives channeling unprecedented resources into education, healthcare, research, and community development. From Silicon Valley boardrooms to Indian industrial houses, a new wave of giving is turning personal success into national impact.
Hyderabad Story
In Hyderabad, the story has captured imaginations worldwide. Four distinguished alumni of Hyderabad Public School (HPS) – Satya Nadella (CEO, Microsoft), Shantanu Narayen (CEO, Adobe), Ajay Banga (President, World Bank), and Prem Watsa (Chairman, Fairfax Financial Holdings) – have pledged substantial funds, reported at around Rs 300 crore, to their alma mater.
The donation is earmarked for new buildings and refurbishing classrooms, part of the school’s ambitious Vision 2050 plan to rank among the world’s top ten schools.
While officials remain guarded on the exact amount, the symbolism is unmistakable: some of the world’s most powerful corporate minds are turning their gaze homeward, determined to strengthen India’s educational roots. India’s philanthropic leadership continues to be dominated by stalwarts. According to the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2024, Shiv Nadar and family topped the charts with Rs 2,153 crore, largely directed toward education through the Shiv Nadar Foundation. Mukesh Ambani and family followed with Rs 407 crore, while the Bajaj family (Rs 352 crore), Kumar Mangalam Birla (Rs 334 crore), and Gautam Adani and family (Rs 330 crore) also figured prominently.
At the apex of long-term giving stands Azim Premji, whose Foundation has become a byword for institutional philanthropy. With an endowment of Rs 2.4 lakh crore, the Azim Premji Foundation is operating field institutes in 59 districts across seven states, strengthening public education at scale and reshaping philanthropy into systemic nation-building.
Education & Research
Technology entrepreneurs have emerged as leading patrons of education and scientific research. Nandan Nilekani gifted Rs 315 crore to his alma mater IIT Bombay and another Rs 70 crore to AI4Bharat at IIT-Madras for pioneering work in Indian-language artificial intelligence. Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies, meanwhile, supports water sustainability, environmental stewardship, and civic empowerment, carving a niche in grassroots philanthropy.
Prem Watsa has backed frontier science, contributing $5 million ( approx Rs 41 crore) to IIT-Madras’s Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre, bolstering India’s neuroscience research. Healthcare philanthropy is experiencing its own transformation. Tata Trusts are building a 20-hospital cancer-care network across seven states in collaboration with governments, arguably India’s most ambitious non-profit health initiative. Reliance Foundation has expanded its scholarships to 10,000 undergraduates and 100 postgraduates annually, while simultaneously investing in rural transformation, disaster relief, and heritage conservation.
The Infosys Foundation is catalysing grassroots innovation through its Aarohan Social Innovation Awards, offering Rs 2 crore annually to projects spanning health, education, and women empowerment.
In sports, JSW Foundation’s Inspire Institute of Sport has become a launchpad for India’s Olympic dreams, supporting 41 athletes on the road to Paris 2024 and expanding its investment beyond the Tokyo cycle. Similarly, the Bharti Foundation’s Satya Bharti Schools – numbering 164 in rural India – have touched over two million children, while the Adani Foundation has ramped up social spending by 16 per cent in 2024, with priorities in education, healthcare, and skill-building.
Philanthropy is no longer confined within India’s borders. The India Philanthropy Alliance in the US has institutionalised India Giving Day, targeting $10 million in donations in 2025 for Indian causes ranging from healthcare to livelihoods. This marks a turning point: the Indian diaspora is becoming an organised force in supporting India’s development story. Overall, India’s social-sector funding touched nearly Rs 25 lakh crore ($300 billion; 8.3 per cent of GDP) in FY2024, with private philanthropy contributing Rs 1.31 lakh crore ($16 billion). By FY2029, this is projected to rise to Rs 45 lakh crore, though experts caution that gaps remain when measured against India’s developmental needs.
