Wipro founder-chairman Azim Premji and his family have emerged as the top philanthropists in India, followed by Shiv Nadar, founder-chairman of HCL Technologies, richest Indian Mukesh Ambani, chairman, Reliance Industries, Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman, Aditya Birla Group, and Anil Agarwal, chairman, Vedanta Group.
 
Hurun India [www.hurunindia.net] and EdelGive [www.edelgive.org] released the seventh edition of EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2020 on Tuesday, which covers 112 people, 12% more than those last year. Mumbai is home to the maximum (36) of them, 36, followed by Delhi and Bengaluru. Education remained the biggest cause supported by the donors in India, mirroring Hurun’s Global Philanthropy List, while healthcare and water conversation witnessed a spike in donations compared to last year, according to a release.
 
The Hurun India Philanthropy List ranks the most generous individuals in India and is now on its 5th anniversary. Indians give much more generously than many have previously understood.

“Reports of this nature are rare, but give us deep insight into the philanthropic sector and the patterns of giving that are ever-evolving. This year, we also looked at our methodology very closely – ensuring we keep the process transparent and proactively invite leaders of a diverse group to participate in the list. I am certain the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List will inspire a lot of new philanthropists towards strategic giving,”  Vidya Shah, chairperson and CEO, EdelGive Foundation, was quoted as saying.
 
Twenty-eight philanthropists entered this list for the first time. The top new additions are S D Shibulal of Infosys with a donation of Rs 32 crore, followed by Amit and Archana Chandra of A.T.E. Chandra Foundation who donated Rs 27 crore, and Shri Ram Beriwala & Shyam Sunder Beriwala of Shyam Steels who donated Rs 19 crore.
 
Anas Rahman Junaid, MD and chief researcher of Hurun India, said: “The preferred cause of India’s top philanthropists has been education, although poverty alleviation has grown dramatically to become the second most popular cause this year.  I hope the Hurun Philanthropy List can help people understand the mindset of some of India’s most successful entrepreneurs and philanthropists, as well as inspire future generations to give back.”
 
Rohini Nilekani, who donates through Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies, is India’s most generous woman, followed by Anu Aga and family of Thermax. Binny Bansal is the only one under the age of 40 to enter the philanthropy list.
 
EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List tracks donations measured by the value of their cash or cash equivalents from April 2019 to March 31, 2020. This year’s EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List features individuals who have donated Rs 5 crore or more during the period under review.
 
Methodology
To make this list, the Hurun Report surveyed India’s most successful entrepreneurs, including those from the Hurun India Rich List 2020, meticulously cross-referencing the results with media reports and charitable foundations. In the course of the research, Hurun Report attended non-profit related seminars, as well as meeting with scholars, experts, philanthropists, and senior members of charitable foundations.
 
Hurun Report includes cash and cash equivalents pledged with legally binding commitments and the latest available CSR data filed with the corporate affairs ministry. Since most of the PM Care Fund donations were announced after the cutoff date, they have not been considered (unless they are mentioned in FY 20 CSR spend in the annual report of the respective companies).
 
Hurun Report included donations made by companies in which an individual had a significant share by applying the percentage the individual has of the company on the donations. So, for example, Biocon made donations of Rs 8 crore during the period, and Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw holds 60.68% of the shares of the company, so Hurun Report recorded Shaw’s donations as Rs 4.92 crore. In 2015, Azim Premji had transferred a significant part of his shareholding amounting to 39% of the shares of Wipro to trust and foundation, which has been taken into account that year. Since this is a one-time philanthropic donation, it has not been included this year.
 
The list includes the only individual born and bred in India regardless of the passport they currently hold. Values are rounded, and past figures are subject to exchange rate fluctuations.

EdelGive Foundation
EdelGive Foundation is a grant-making organisation, helping build and expand philanthropy in India by funding and supporting the growth of small to mid-sized grassroots NGOs committed to empowering vulnerable communities. This approach has enabled the foundation to be a go-to partner of choice for Indian and foreign funders wanting to engage with the Indian development ecosystem. Over the last 13 years, EdelGive has supported over 150 organisations across 111 districts in 14 states of India, influencing commitments of over Rs 3.31 billion in philanthropy.