Nikhil Kamath And Adar Poonawalla Among India’s Youngest Big-Hearted Donors—See Their Generous Contributions

Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath has emerged as one of the youngest philanthropists in the 2024 Hurun India Philanthropy list. At 38, Kamath donated ₹120 crore to the Rainmatter Foundation, ranking him among India’s leading donors.

Kamath, the youngest Indian to join The Giving Pledge—a commitment by global billionaires, including Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, to dedicate most or all of their wealth to philanthropy—also leads the Young Indian Philanthropic Pledge (YIPP). YIPP collaborates with startup leaders to donate up to 25% of their net worth to charitable efforts.

In 2023, Kamath and his brother, Nithin Kamath, joined the Hurun list after contributing ₹110 crore toward climate change and environmental sustainability.

Asian Paints’ Vivek Vakil is the youngest person on the list with a donation of ₹8 crore, while 43-year-old Adar Poonawalla made the largest contribution among younger philanthropists, giving ₹142 crore through the Villoo Poonawalla Charitable Foundation.

Who topped the list?

HCLTech founder Shiv Nadar claimed the top spot for the third time in five years, with the Shiv Nadar Foundation donating ₹2,153 crore in 2024—an average of ₹5.9 crore per day. Mukesh Ambani and family ranked second with ₹407 crore, followed by the Bajaj family at ₹352 crore.

The top 10 philanthropists contributed ₹4,625 crore, representing 53% of the total donations made by over 200 individuals. The 203 donors averaged ₹43 crore each in donations according to the list.