Mukesh Ambani among top Indian philanthropists — Here's how much India's richest man donated & for this cause

Mukesh Ambani and his family made an annual donation of ₹626 crore in fiscal year 2025, second only to Shiv Nadar and family on the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2025.

Notably, this means that Mukesh Ambani donated ₹1.7 crore per day in FY25. The 68-year-old industrialist also registered the second biggest increment in donation, up ₹219 crore this year, compared to FY24; while Shiv Nadar and family kept the top spot, contributing an additional ₹555 crore this year, compared to last year. Rounding off the top three was the Hinduja family, who increased their donation by ₹179 crore from the previous year, the report revealed.

This is the 12th annual ranking of the most generous individuals in India, the report said, adding that donations were measured by the value of their cash or cash equivalents between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025.

The full list features individuals who have donated ₹5 crore or more during the period under review.

What cause did Mukesh Ambani and family, RIL support primarily?

As per the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2025, Reliance Foundation's focus areas included arts and culture, disaster management, education, healthcare, heritage conservation, rural transformation, sports development, urban renewal, and women empowerment.

In fact, RIL contributed ₹1,309 crore to corporate social responsibility (CSR), surpassing the required mandatory spend by ₹261 crore.

Other corporates that also exceeded the mandatory CSR floor include Rungta Sons with ₹181 crore, which is ₹114 crore above their mandated amount, and Jindal Steel, which allocated ₹267 crore to CSR, exceeding their prescribed spend by ₹100 crore.

What was the primary focus of donations by Mukesh Ambani, Shiv Nadar?

Shiv Nadar and family led by adding ₹555 crore to reach a total donation of ₹2,708 crore, largely focused on education. They were followed by Mukesh Ambani and family, who increased donations by ₹219 crore for education, and the Hinduja family, who added ₹179 crore with healthcare as their primary cause.

Edelgive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2025: Top 12 highlights

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

• With an annual donation of ₹2,708 crore, Shiv Nadar (80) and family 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.

• ‘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.

• Hurun research reported that 18 individuals (up by 10 from 2019) in India 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.

• Nikhil Kamath, 39, of Zerodha, is the youngest philanthropist for the fourth time in the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy list 2025.

• Lachman Das Mittal & family (94) and Benu Gopal Bangur & family (94) are the oldest in the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2025.

• With a donation of ₹20 crore last year, Venu Srinivasan, Chairman Emeritus of TVS Motor, is the ‘most generous new entrant’ in the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2025.

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

• Based on city of residence, Mumbai led with 28% of the list, followed by New Delhi, accounting for 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.