MUMBAI, May 20 — Billionaires Mukesh and Nita Ambani, Azim Premji and Nikhil Kamath have been named to Time magazine’s first-ever list of the 100 most influential people in philanthropy, recognized for their large-scale donations and grassroots efforts shaping public welfare across India.
The TIME100 Philanthropy list celebrates donors and foundation leaders who are, in the publication’s words, “directing funding into the communities that need it most.” The selection includes a diverse set of global changemakers such as Warren Buffet, Melinda French Gates, Prince William and Princess Catherine, and footballer David Beckham.
Among the Indian honorees, Mukesh and Nita Ambani were cited for giving away ₹407 crore (approximately $48 million) in 2024 alone. “Their charitable initiatives are as varied and wide-ranging as the business empire that earned them an estimated $110 billion fortune,” the magazine noted. Nita Ambani, who heads the Reliance Foundation, plays a central role in overseeing programmes in education, health care, rural transformation, and sports.
“They are empowering millions,” Time wrote, placing the couple among India’s most significant donors.
Azim Premji, former Wipro chairman, was praised not only for his financial contributions but also for his active involvement in improving India’s public education system. Having signed the Giving Pledge as the first Indian to do so, Premji endowed his foundation in 2013 with over $29 billion in Wipro shares. In 2023–24, his foundation disbursed $109 million in grants across 940 organisations.
The Premji Foundation also runs 263 teacher learning centres and 59 field offices across India, working directly with teachers and childcare workers in underserved communities. Its efforts have reached more than eight million children. In August, the foundation pledged an additional $175 million to expand school meal coverage for five million children. “We believe wealth should be held in trusteeship for the betterment of society,” Premji has said, citing Gandhi’s philosophy.
Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath also made the list, becoming the youngest Indian philanthropist on the global stage to sign the Giving Pledge — doing so at age 36 in 2023. A school dropout who began his career at a Bengaluru call centre, Kamath now helms one of India’s most successful discount brokerages with his brother Nithin.
Together, they have pledged over $100 million to their Rainmatter Foundation, which supports climate change solutions. Kamath also launched the Young India Philanthropic Pledge (YIPP), a first-of-its-kind initiative encouraging Indians under 45 with net worths over $100 million to donate at least 25 percent of their wealth.
YIPP has already raised $8 million, backing efforts such as tech upgrades for 300 schools and career counselling programmes. “Education is the only democratising element that can close the inequality gap,” Kamath told Time, explaining the vision behind his giving.
By including these Indian figures, Time‘s list reflects the rising global impact of Indian philanthropy across sectors like education, climate action, and public health — powered not only by money but also by personal engagement.
