Ambanis, Azim Premji among top donors in TIME100 Philanthropy List 2025
Mukesh Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Industries Limited, and his wife Nita Ambani are among the top leaders featured in the inaugural TIME100 Philanthropy List 2025. The list highlights their growing philanthropic efforts, with the couple donating ₹407 crore (approximately $48 million) in 2024 across various social initiatives. “Reliance Foundation has funded initiatives affecting millions of Indians that have provided funding for scholarships; helped women strengthen their career skills; assisted rural communities with sustainable agriculture initiatives; supported water conservation projects; paid for the construction of hospitals; aided people with vision problems; & improved infrastructure for schools,” said Reliance Foundation.Azim PremjiAnother notable Indian businessman and former Wipro chairman Azim Premji donated ₹910 crore ($109 million) to 940 organisations focused on education, health, and other areas in 2023-2024.“Premji was the first Indian to sign the Giving Pledge, in 2013, the foundation he launched nearly 25 years ago with over $29 billion in shares from his company, Wipro,” TIME said.“The foundation works directly with teachers and rural child care workers via 59 field offices and 263 teacher learning centers throughout India, on educational programs that have so far helped over 8 million children. The foundation also plays an advocacy role on education policy, helping to shape national curriculum,” as per the magazine.Nikhil Kamath38-year-old Nikhil Kamath, the co-founder of finance services company Zerodha, is also among the list of philanthropists.In 2023, Kamath became the youngest Indian to sign the Giving Pledge. By then he had already donated millions to environmental and educational projects—and started his own offshoot initiative, the Young India Philanthropic Pledge (YIPP), which asks Indians under age 45 with fortunes over $100 million to commit to giving away at least 25% of their wealth. YIPP has raised $8 million to fund projects such as upgrading 300 schools with better computers, career counseling, and other servicesKamath said he wants to improve conventional schools because education “is the only democratising element that can close the inequality gap,” according to the magazine.
Mukesh Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Industries Limited, and his wife Nita Ambani are among the top leaders featured in the inaugural TIME100 Philanthropy List 2025.
The list highlights their growing philanthropic efforts, with the couple donating ₹407 crore (approximately $48 million) in 2024 across various social initiatives.
“Reliance Foundation has funded initiatives affecting millions of Indians that have provided funding for scholarships; helped women strengthen their career skills; assisted rural communities with sustainable agriculture initiatives; supported water conservation projects; paid for the construction of hospitals; aided people with vision problems; & improved infrastructure for schools,” said Reliance Foundation.
Azim Premji
Another notable Indian businessman and former Wipro chairman Azim Premji donated ₹910 crore ($109 million) to 940 organisations focused on education, health, and other areas in 2023-2024.
“Premji was the first Indian to sign the Giving Pledge, in 2013, the foundation he launched nearly 25 years ago with over $29 billion in shares from his company, Wipro,” TIME said.
“The foundation works directly with teachers and rural child care workers via 59 field offices and 263 teacher learning centers throughout India, on educational programs that have so far helped over 8 million children. The foundation also plays an advocacy role on education policy, helping to shape national curriculum,” as per the magazine.
Nikhil Kamath
38-year-old Nikhil Kamath, the co-founder of finance services company Zerodha, is also among the list of philanthropists.
In 2023, Kamath became the youngest Indian to sign the Giving Pledge. By then he had already donated millions to environmental and educational projects—and started his own offshoot initiative, the Young India Philanthropic Pledge (YIPP), which asks Indians under age 45 with fortunes over $100 million to commit to giving away at least 25% of their wealth. YIPP has raised $8 million to fund projects such as upgrading 300 schools with better computers, career counseling, and other services
Kamath said he wants to improve conventional schools because education “is the only democratising element that can close the inequality gap,” according to the magazine.
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