₹46 cr/day: India's richest fuel record philanthropy surge, Shiv Nadar tops

Shiv Nadar tops list with ₹2,708 crore donation; Infosys founders set record; big jump in ₹100-crore donors signals maturing giving culture

India’s ultra-wealthy are giving like never before. The EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2025, released on Wednesday, shows that the country’s most generous donors contributed ₹10,380 crore in FY25 — an 85% jump in just three years, signalling a decisive shift toward institutional philanthropy and long-term social investment.

 

A total of 191 philanthropists donated more than ₹5 crore each, up sharply from 27 in 2017 and including 12 new entrants this year.

 

Shiv Nadar retains top spot — gives ₹7.4 crore a day

 

At the top stands Shiv Nadar & family, 80, founder of HCL Technologies, who donated ₹2,708 crore, retaining the title of “India’s Most Generous” for the fourth time in five years. That works out to ₹7.4 crore per day! Nadar’s cumulative giving over the past five years has crossed ₹10,122 crore, focused heavily on education — from Shiv Nadar University to the VidyaGyan rural leadership academies.  The Top 10 in the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2025 

Shiv Nadar & family, 80, has retained the top spot on the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2025,

 

 

Infosys founders set historic record

 

In a landmark moment for corporate philanthropy, Infosys co-founders and their families — Nandan Nilekani, Rohini Nilekani, Kris Gopalakrishnan, K. Dinesh, and Kumari Shibulal — donated over ₹850 crore this year, averaging ₹2 crore per day.

Hurun called it a record for philanthropy linked to one company.

 

Top 25 gave ₹50,000 crore in three years

 

The top 25 donors alone have contributed ₹50,000 crore over the last three years — averaging ₹46 crore every day.

And the bar to enter the elite club is rising fast:

Top 25 threshold: ₹70 crore, up 180% since 2014

Top 10 threshold: ₹173 crore, more than double since 2020

 

Women, young leaders, and self-made donors rising

• Rohini Nilekani, 66, remains India’s most generous woman with a ₹204 crore donation
• Nikhil Kamath, 39, of Zerodha is the youngest philanthropist — fourth consecutive year
• 24 women philanthropists made the list
• 101 donors are self-made, up by 36 since 2023

Most generous women: 

*For the table of most generous women, donations made by husband-wife duos are assumed to be split equally, with a 50-50 allocation between the spouses.

   

New wealth, new giving: The Ranjan Pai example

 

A standout this year is Ranjan Pai, Chairman of Manipal Group, who recently sold a majority stake in Manipal Hospitals to Temasek. He donated ₹160 crore, breaking into the Top 5. This signals a new trend: entrepreneurs giving soon after liquidity events, not waiting decades.   Top Philanthropists Who Donated in Their Personal Capacity 

Thirty-one individuals in the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2025 have donated in their personal capacity compared to 24 individuals in 2023.

   

More ₹100-crore givers than ever

 

India’s high-value giving cohort is expanding rapidly:

 

• 18 donors gave over ₹100 crore (2 in 2018)
• 33 donated over ₹50 crore (up 145% since 2019)
• 70 donated over ₹20 crore (up 128% since 2019)
• Average donation per philanthropist rose to ₹54 crore — up from ₹43 crore last year.

 

Biggest climbers & new faces

 

• Sanjay & Alpana Dangi jumped 115 spots to rank 47 with ₹32 crore donation
• Venu Srinivasan of TVS Motor is the most generous new entrant with ₹20 crore

 

Corporate India steps up CSR spending

 

Some companies far exceeded mandatory CSR:

 

• Reliance Industries: ₹1,309 crore (₹261 crore above required)
• Rungta Sons: ₹181 crore (₹114 crore above)
• Jindal Steel & Power: ₹267 crore (₹100 crore above)

 

Where India gives

 

• Education: top cause with ₹4,166 crore from 107 donors
• Cities: Mumbai leads with 28%, followed by Delhi (17%) and Bengaluru (8%)
• Industries: Pharma tops list (16%), followed by software, auto, and chemicals (8% each)

 

 Favoured Philanthropic Causes - EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2025 

With 40% of donations, Education remains the most favoured philanthropic cause, followed by Healthcare at 9% of total donations.

  Foundations vs NGOs  

104 donors now run their own foundations

88 donors route giving through NGOs

 

Oldest and youngest

 

Oldest donors: Lachman Das Mittal (94) & Benu Gopal Bangur (94)

Youngest: Nikhil Kamath (39)  Here are the key highlights of the report:  

• EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2025 finds 191 philanthropists (12 new entrants) who cumulatively donated ₹10,380 Crore — up by 85% compared to three years ago.

 

• With an annual donation of ₹2,708 Crore, Shiv Nadar & family, aged 80, retained the ‘India’s Most Generous’ title for the fourth time in five years. He donated ₹7.4 Crore per day!

 

• The top 25 in the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2025 donated ₹50,000 Crore in just three years — an average of ₹46 Crore every single day.

 

• With a donation of ₹204 Crore, Rohini Nilekani, 66, is the most generous woman on the list.

 

• Top professional managers, led by A.M. Naik (₹54 Cr), Amit Chandra and Archana Chandra (₹47 Cr), and venture capitalists Prashanth Prakash and Amitha Prashanth (₹17 Cr) continue to be in the Top 100 Most Generous in India, solely donating from a personal capacity. All of them cumulatively donated nearly ₹800 Crore in the last 3 years!

 

• “Infosys Family” Sets a Record in Philanthropy: Co-founders and their families — Nandan Nilekani, Kris Gopalakrishnan, K. Dinesh, Rohini Nilekani, and Kumari Shibulal — collectively donated over ₹850 Crore this year, averaging more than ₹2 Crore in giving each day, marking a record for philanthropy stemming from a single company.

 

• From Cash Out to Purpose: Ranjan Pai … has broken the ₹100 Crore mark in personal philanthropy — donating ₹160 Crore this year and entering the Top 5 most generous in personal capacity.

 

• With ₹137 Crore of annual donation, up by 77%, Harish Shah and Bina Shah secured 16th position.

 

• Hurun research finds 18 individuals (up by 10 from 2019) who made an annual donation of over ₹100 Crore, 33 (up by 145% since 2019) over ₹50 Crore and 70 (up by 128% since 2019) over ₹20 Crore.

 

• The threshold to enter the top 25 is ₹70 Crore, an increase of 180% since 2014.

 

• Rising entry bar: The threshold to enter India’s Top 10 philanthropists has more than doubled, from ₹74 Crore in 2020 to ₹173 Crore in 2025.

 

• High-value giving surges: The number of individuals donating over ₹100 Crore has jumped from 2 in 2018 to 18 in 2025.

 

• Sharp growth in total donations: Cumulative giving has quadrupled since 2017.

 

• Bigger average donations: The average per philanthropist has increased from ₹43 Crore in 2024 to ₹54 Crore in 2025.

 

• Mukesh Ambani & Family, 68, secures the second spot with an annual donation of ₹626 Crore.

 

• Nikhil Kamath, 39, of Zerodha, is the youngest philanthropist for the fourth time.

 

• Lachman Das Mittal & family (94) and Benu Gopal Bangur & family (94) are the oldest donors.

 

• Indian philanthropists with over ₹100 Crore annual donations have grown from just 2 in 2018 to 18 in 2025.

 

• Most generous new entrant: Venu Srinivasan of TVS Motor donated ₹20 Crore.

 

• If only personal philanthropy is considered, Shiv Nadar & family still rank first with ₹2,537 Crore, followed by Nandan Nilekani and Rohini Nilekani.

 

• In the list, 88 philanthropists route CSR via NGOs; 104 have established foundations.

 

• The biggest increment in donation: Shiv Nadar & family contributed ₹555 Crore more than last year, followed by Mukesh Ambani & family (₹219 Crore) and Hinduja family (₹179 Crore).

 

• Biggest rank change: Sanjay & Alpana Dangi jumped 115 spots to rank 47 with ₹32 Crore donation.

 

• Listed vs unlisted ratio: 61% listed companies vs 37% unlisted.

 

• Reliance Industries contributed ₹1,309 Crore to CSR — exceeding its mandate by ₹261 Crore. Rungta Sons: ₹181 Crore (₹114 Crore above mandate). Jindal Steel & Power: ₹267 Crore (₹100 Crore above).

 

• 191 philanthropists donated more than ₹5 Crore in FY-2025, up by 164 from 2017.

 

• Maharashtra received the largest CSR allocation from list founders, followed by Gujarat.