Azim Premji tops Edelgive Hurun India Philanthropy list 2020, followed by Shiv Nadar & Mukesh Ambani

Total donations in the list increase by 175% to INR 12,050 crore in 2020

• Number of  individuals who have donated more than INR 10 crore increases from 37 to 78 this year
• With a donation of INR 27 crore, Amit Chandra,52, and Archana Chandra, 49, of A.T.E. Chandra Foundation are the first and only professional managers to ever enter the Edelgive Hurun India Philanthropy List
• Kumara Mangalam Birla and Anil Agarwal moved into the top 5
• At age 37, Binny Bansal is the youngest in the list
• With 36 individuals, Mumbai is home to most of the philanthropists in Edelgive Hurun India philanthropy list 2020, followed by New Delhi (20) and Bengaluru (10)
• Education the most favored cause with 90 philanthropists cumulatively donating INR 9,324 crores
• With 84 donors, healthcare registered a 111% increase in cumulative donation, followed by disaster relief & management, which had 41 donors
• With a donation of INR 47 crore, Rohini Nilekani, 61, was the most generous woman philanthropist in the list

Chennai, November 10, 2020: Hurun India and EdelGive today released the seventh edition of EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2020. Azim Premji & family, the Founder-Chairman of Wipro topped the 2020 list, while Shiv Nadar, Founder-Chairman of HCL Technologies, ranked second; followed by richest Indian Mukesh Ambani, Chairman, Reliance Industries at the third spot. The fourth spot was earned by Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman, Aditya Birla Group followed by Anil Agarwal, Chairman, Vedanta Group at the 5^th spot.

The 2020 EdelGive Hurun Philanthropy List showcases 112 people, up 12% against the 2019 edition. Mumbai topped the preferred city of residence for top philanthropists with 36 names from the city being a part of this edition. Delhi and Bengaluru followed as second and third cities respectively. Education remained the biggest cause supported by the donors in India but – mirroring Hurun’s Global Philanthropy List. Healthcare and water conversation witnessed a spike in donations compared to last year.

“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.

Twenty-eight philanthropists entered EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2020 for the first time. The top new additions in the list are S D Shibulal of Infosys with a donation of INR 32 crore, followed by Amit and Archana Chandra of A.T.E. Chandra Foundation who donated INR 27 crore, and Shri Ram Beriwala & Shyam Sunder Beriwala of Shyam Steels who donated INR 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 & family of Thermax. While Binny Bansal is the only philanthropist 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 2020 features individuals who have donated INR 5 crore or more during the period under review.

The average age is 66, three years older than entrepreneurs on the Hurun India Rich List, and two years older than philanthropists on last year’s EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List.

Methodology

To put together a comprehensive list of the largest philanthropists of India is an almost impossible task. However, we believe at Hurun Report that, the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List is the most serious and authoritative effort to date, identifying the individuals and highlighting the causes they donate to. 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 for the twelve months from 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020 and the latest available CSR data filed with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. Since most of the PM Care Fund donations were announced after the cutoff date, the same is not considered for arriving at the total donation unless it is 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 for the period made donations of INR 8 crore, and Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw holds 60.68% of the shares of the company, so Hurun Report recorded Shaw’s donations as INR 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.