₹10,380 donations in FY25! Here's which causes got support from philanthropists Mukesh Ambani, Shiv Nadar, Hindujas

EdelGive and Hurun released their 12th India Philanthropy List, which showed that 191 philanthropists, including 12 new entrants, together donated as much as ₹10,380 crore to various causes in 2025. The amount is 85 per cent more that what was donated in the previous year, it added.

In terms of which causes garnered the most support, education remained the favoured option, followed by healthcare.

All individuals on the list have donated ₹5 crore or more between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025. The report measured donations based on the value of their cash or cash equivalents.

Who were the top donors and their causes?

The topmost donor was Shiv Nadar (80) and family, who have retained the crown for the fourth consecutive year, with an annual donation of ₹2,708 crore (around ₹7.4 crore per day). He was followed by Mukesh Ambani and his family in second place, with an annual donation of ₹626 crore (around ₹1.7 crore per day).

Shiv Nadar and family were also the top when it came to increased donations compared to the previous year, contributing an additional ₹555 crore this year. Mukesh Ambani registered the second biggest increment in donation, up ₹219 crore this year, compared to FY24; while the Hinduja family, who increased their donation by ₹179 crore from the previous year was third, the report revealed.

In terms of the primary causes supported by the top three donors, the bulk of Shiv Nadar and family and Mukesh Ambani and family's donations were focused on education. The Hinduja family meanwhile chose healthcare as the primary cause.

EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2025: Top causes

Overall, as per the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2025, education retains its title as the ‘Most Preferred Philanthropic Cause’, having garnered 40 per cent of all donations. It was followed by healthcare, with 9 per cent of the total donations. Here are the top 5 causes:

• In value terms, education drew total donations worth ₹4,166 crore in FY25, with Shiv Nadar and family providing the bulk ( ₹2,392 crore). The sector attracted a total of 107 donations this year.
• Second on the list is healthcare, which got 89 donations worth ₹971 crore. Here it was the Bajaj family that contributed ₹148 crore to the cause.
• Mukesh Ambani and family gave ₹171 crore towards environment and sustainability, which took third spot on the list. The space received ₹438 crore total from 48 donations in FY25.
• Fourth on the list is arts, culture and heritage, which received ₹309 crore donations in total from 37 entrants. The biggest patrons were Nandlal Rungta and family, who contributed ₹73 crore to the cause.

• Rounding off the top five was rural transformation, which drew ₹301 crore from 42 donations in FY25. The top donor here were the Hinduja family who gave ₹51 crore to the cause.
• The top 10 included other causes such as research and development ( ₹214 crore / Nandan Nilekani gave ₹171 crore), ecosystem building ( ₹193 crore / Nandan Nilekani gave ₹169 crore), sports for development ( ₹158 crore / Ambanis gave ₹127 crore), water conservation ( ₹124 crore / Hinduja family gave ₹72 crore), and community development ( ₹96 crore / Benu Gopal Bangur and family gave ₹33 crore).

EdelGive-Hurun India Philanthropy List 2025: 8 Key highlights

• The EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2025 features 24 women. Rohini Nilekani (66) was ‘India’s most generous woman’ with a donation of ₹204 crore.

• 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.

• Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath (39) is the youngest philanthropist on the list for the fourth time.

• Reliance Industries (RIL) contributed ₹1,309 crore to corporate social responsibility (CSR), surpassing their required mandatory spend by ₹261 crore.

• ‘Infosys Family’ co-founders — Nandan Nilekani, Kris Gopalakrishnan, K Dinesh, Rohini Nilekani, Kumari Shibulal and their families — 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.

• Shiv Nadar and family take first place even if only personal philanthropy is considered ( ₹2,537 crore), followed by Nandan Nilekani and Rohini Nilekani.

• Based on city of residence, Mumbai led the list with 28%, followed by New Delhi at 17%, and Bengaluru at 8%.

• The pharma industry has the largest number of philanthropists in the list, accounting for 16%, followed by software and services, automobile and auto components, and chemicals and petrochemicals, at 8% each.