Giving away Rs 5.6 cr a day, Shiv Nadar top donor in 2023 philanthropy rankings; total contributions surge 56%

HCL Tech founder Shiv Nadar retained his position of most generous Indian for the third year in a row on the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2023 by giving away Rs 2042 crore, or Rs 5.6 crore a day. Wipro’s Azim Premji came next, with an annual donation of Rs 1,774 crore. Nadar’s donation, 76% higher than a year ago, came to more than the amount donated by the rest of the philanthropists in the top 10, barring Premji. Mukesh Ambani was third on the list, with donations amounting to Rs 376 crore, a fall of 8% from a year ago. Seven women made it to the list, with philanthropist Rohini Nilekani donating the most at Rs 170 crore.

Indian philanthropists seem to be giving more than ever before – in the 2023 list, 119 philanthropists contributed Rs 8445 crore, a jump of close to 60% from a year ago, and a 200% surge from three years ago. Fourteen Indians donated over Rs 100 crore according to the 2023 list, from 2 in 2018 while the number of Indians who donated over Rs 50 crore doubled from 2019, at 24. “This is a record year for big philanthropy... Given India’s potential for wealth creation and assuming a continued commitment to philanthropy by billionaires, I anticipate these figures to double over the next five years,” Hurun India MD and chief researcher Anas Rahman Junaid said in a statement.

Contribution-wise, Premji’s saw the biggest increase, at Rs 1,290 crore more than last year, with Nadar coming next, with his donations rising by close to Rs 900 crore. Among the 25 new entrants on the list, Infosys co-founder K Dinesh was the most generous, with a donation of Rs 47 crore. Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath, 37, was the youngest donor on the 2023 list. Together with his brother, Nithin, the two donated Rs 110 crore.


AM Naik, who stepped down as L&T group chairman earlier this year, was the country’s most generous professional manager with donations of Rs 150 crore. Naik is only one of three professional managers to make it to the list, the others being Bain Capital’s Amit Chandra, who runs the ATE Chandra Foundation with his wife, Archana, and debutant Prashanth Prakash, founding partner of VC firm Accel in India.

Education, art, culture and heritage and healthcare were the top three causes which attracted the most donations.