“This year is a record year for big philanthropy,” says Hurun India MD Anas Rahman Junaid as he explains that the number of donors contributing over ₹100 crore surged from two to 14 in five years and those contributing over ₹50 crore rose from 5 to 24. Junaid expects these numbers to potentially double in the next five years.

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As per the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2023, total contributions to philanthropy in India have tripled in three years since the COVID-19 pandemic to ₹8,445 crore.

Just like the previous years, education remained the most favoured cause in FY23. 62 philanthropists donated around ₹4 crore per day or ₹1,500 crore during the whole year for programmes in education. HCL Founder Shiv Nadar & family was the top contributor as they donated over Rs 600 crore, followed by Wipro’s Azim Premji.

The Nadar family’s other favourite was arts, culture & heritage, towards which they contributed over ₹1,200 crore, making it the second most favoured cause on the list.

For Reliance Industries’ Mukesh Ambani and family, whose philanthropic work is done by the Reliance Foundation, healthcare was the key focus as nearly one-third of their contribution went towards it. With an annual donation of ₹633 crore, healthcare remained among the top philanthropic causes.

Environment & sustainability also featured among the most preferred causes as donations rose 31% from the previous year. Among the notable names who contributed towards the cause were Zerodha Co-Founders Nithin and Nikhil Kamath. They donated ₹110 crore to organisations dealing with climate issues & sustainability. 37-year-old Nikhil is also the youngest to feature on the list. “When the Kamath brothers came in with their philanthropy, that created a huge impact because younger entrepreneurs and wealth creators got interested in something which hasn’t been a main focus,” says Naghma Mulla, CEO, EdelGive Foundation.

When it comes to rural transformation, donations fell by 25% in the past year. However, ecosystem building, community development and social development entered the list of favoured causes for the first time as Infosys Co-Founder Nandan Nilekani and Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani provided their support. The 119 philanthropists featured on the list also backed causes like water conservation, skill development & poverty eradication, among others.

Even though the list does not make a mention of mental health and gender, Mulla says that youngsters like Rajvi Mariwala, who works with the Mariwala Health Initiative, are shining the spotlight on these important issues. “These are smaller initiatives but they are going to catch on because people with their wealth and capacity are showing and saying, look there is more to support,” she adds.

First Published:Nov 3, 2023 11:00 AM IST