TIME’s 2025 Philanthropy List Highlights Indian Titans: Ambanis, Premji, Kamath
India-West News Desk
NEW YORK, NY — Mukesh Ambani, Nita Ambani, Azim Premji, and Nikhil Kamath have all earned spots on TIME magazine’s 2025 list of the 100 most influential people in philanthropy, joining a global group of changemakers that includes Oprah Winfrey, Dolly Parton, and David Beckham.
The list, released May 20, celebrates leaders across sectors—finance, entertainment, technology, sports, activism, and academia—who are making transformative impacts worldwide.
Mukesh and Nita Ambani are recognized for their extensive charitable work through the Reliance Foundation. Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries, and Nita Ambani, Founder and Chairperson of the Reliance Foundation, support a broad range of initiatives benefiting millions across India. Their efforts include expanding educational scholarships, promoting women’s career skills, advancing sustainable rural agriculture, building hospitals, improving vision care, conserving water, and upgrading school infrastructure. TIME reports that in 2024, the Ambanis donated approximately $48 million, ranking them among the top philanthropists in India. Nita Ambani also co-owns the Mumbai Indians cricket team with her son Akash and leads foundation programs focused on developing female athletes.
Azim Premji, India’s first signer of the Giving Pledge, is also featured for his transformative philanthropy. Since launching the Azim Premji Foundation nearly 25 years ago, he has endowed it with over $29 billion in Wipro shares. TIME highlights that the foundation awarded $109 million in grants last year to nearly 940 organizations working in education, health, and more. The foundation operates 59 field offices and 263 teacher-learning centers across India, directly supporting over eight million children. Premji’s approach is deeply influenced by Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy that “wealth is a public trust,” and his foundation plays an active role in shaping India’s national education policy.
Nikhil Kamath, who became the youngest Indian to sign the Giving Pledge in 2023, appears in the “Trailblazers” category. Kamath co-founded the brokerage firm Zerodha with his brother Nithin and has committed over $100 million to their Rainmatter Foundation, which focuses on climate change solutions. He also founded the Young India Philanthropic Pledge (YIPP), encouraging Indians under 45 with fortunes over $100 million to donate at least 25% of their wealth. YIPP has raised $8 million so far to upgrade 300 schools with improved digital infrastructure, career counseling, and other support. Kamath told TIME education “is the only democratizing element that can close the inequality gap.”
