With ₹4 Cr in donations per day education is the most favoured cause for India’s philanthropists: Hurun

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.