On May 23, 2025, GivingPi Members Brinda and Ajay Upadhyaya through their philanthropic venture, Upadhyaya Foundation hosted a soulful musical gathering in Mumbai - Songs Between Silence - in collaboration with Baithak Foundation. Held in an intimate baithak-style setting, the evening brought together members of the community to experience original compositions by Mandar Karanjkar, who set saint poetry to Indian classical music in ways that were both meditative and deeply resonant. Accompanied by Suyog Kundalkar on harmonium, Siddharth Padiyar on tabla, and Dakshayani Athalye on vocals and tanpura, the performance offered a space for stillness, spiritual reflection, and quiet cultural immersion. Rooted in a shared belief in the transformative power of the arts, the event also spotlighted Baithak Foundation’s mission to make Indian classical music accessible to children from underserved communities through education and community outreach. GivingPi Members who attended were Nandita and Raj Duggar, Rajiv Mehta, Rekha Koita, Sarika Kulkarni, Ujwala Rao and Vineeta Kanoria. This convening reflects GivingPi’s commitment to amplifying diverse forms of cultural philanthropy that create connection, inspire contemplation, and open new ways of engaging with equity and impact.
On June 10, 2025, GivingPi launched The Philanthropy Commons—a new convening series that aims to spotlight urgent ideas, lived experiences, and cross-border collaborations shaping India’s philanthropic future. The inaugural gathering focused on diaspora capital and its potential to catalyze bold, systems-led change. This conversation, moderated by Deval Sanghavi, Co-Founder and Partner at Dasra, made a compelling case for unlocking not just more capital, but better capital: flexible, multi-year support that builds institutions, invests in local leadership, and enables community-rooted solutions. GivingPi Members Dr. Amita Gupta (Johns Hopkins, Gupta-Klinsky India Institute) spoke of how summers in Aligarh shaped her global health career, while Amit Bhandari (BioUrja Group, Magic Bus) shared his shift from transactional giving to strategic, values-led philanthropy. Both emphasized the importance of proximity, persistence, and people-first approaches. Together, these voices underscored the urgent need for diaspora capital to step up as a critical catalyst especially as global donor exits accelerate and grassroots organizations remain underfunded. The launch of The Philanthropy Commons marks a powerful new chapter for GivingPi - one that aims to deepen cross-border dialogue, foster shared learning, and mobilize high-impact philanthropy rooted in community, courage, and conviction. Four additional sessions - both virtual and in-person - will build on this momentum, providing thought leadership and actionable pathways for diaspora giving. To explore how you can participate or co-host a future Commons session, write to us at [email protected]
On June 12, 2025, GivingPi alongside SNEHA (Society for Nutrition Education and Health Action) and GivingPi Member, Rumana Hamied, hosted an intimate gathering in Mumbai to spotlight the urgent need for compassionate, community-driven palliative care in India. In a deeply moving fireside conversation moderated by Deval Sanghavi (Co-Founder and Partner at Dasra), Rumana Hamied and Dr. Armida Fernandez shared personal journeys and frontline experiences, highlighting the intersection of dignity, equity, and end-of-life care. Framed by India’s demographic shift and growing care burden, the discussion emphasized the systemic transformation needed to meet this moment with empathy and innovation. This convening reflects our effort to bring greater attention to often overlooked issues, while fostering honest, solutions-focused dialogue between philanthropists and practitioners.
On June 20, 2025, GivingPi Member Sudhir Shenoy (Able Together) and the team at Sol’s ARC convened a high-impact roundtable in Mumbai to confront one of India’s most pressing education challenges - how to meaningfully include children with disabilities in mainstream learning. Despite growing awareness, over 75% of the country’s 55 million children with disabilities remain outside formal education systems. Designed as a think-tank style convening, the session brought together senior decisionmakers across philanthropy, policy, and practice to critique current paradigms, unpack systemic barriers, and co-create pathways for change. Anchored by a playbook developed in partnership with Dalberg, the conversation focused on how foundational literacy and numeracy can become truly inclusive and what it will take to shift from fragmented initiatives to a coherent systems-led approach. Leaders in the room included Chetan Kapoor (Tech Mahindra Foundation), Dayoung Lee (Dalberg Advisors), Maharshi Vaisnavi (Motilal Oswal Foundation), Prasad Baji (SVP), Shridhar Sarathy (Tata Capital), and Soumitra Pandey (Impact Sherpa), among others. With candor and urgency, they shared insights across levels of the ecosystem from pedagogy and policy to community implementation - underscoring the need for alignment across samaj, sarkar, and bazar. This gathering reflects how many members across our network are actively fostering meaningful collaboration - bringing together lived experience, institutional insight, and strategic action to drive change.
The Keshav Suri Foundation (KSF), Founded by GivingPi Member, Keshav Suri has been at the forefront of creating inclusive opportunities for the LGBTQIA+ community in India. Since its launch in 2018, KSF has upskilled over 2,000 queer individuals in hospitality, marketing, retail, sales and finance, while Aditya Nanda scholarships through The Lalit Suri Hospitality School and Lovely Professional University and Indian School of Hospitality have opened doors for 20 students annually. Through its ground-breaking Queering Healthcare initiative, KSF has sensitized 500+ health professionals, 200+ schools, colleges, and corporates, provided mental health support to 50,000+ individuals, and trained 36 queeraffirmative psychologists including those equipped with Indian Sign Language to make care more accessible. In the media and creative arts, KSF’s TRANSaction initiative has trained over 200 LGBTQIA+ individuals in acting, enabling professional opportunities and authentic on-screen representation. The Foundation also launched the Aditya Nanda Award at the Kashish Film Festival to spotlight queer mental health narratives in cinema. KSF is also championing inclusion through sports by organizing Trans Cricket Tournaments and adaptive games and launched the India Workplace Equality Index (IWEI) in partnership with Pride Circle and Stonewall UK, for shifting mindsets in corporate India. Recently, KSF partnered with Radhika Piramal and Godrej to launch India’s first philanthropic fund for the LGBTQIA+ community offering support to NGOs working with the community. Through intersectional, far-reaching initiatives, KSF is not just advocating for inclusion - it is actively building an India where LGBTQIA+ individuals are embraced, empowered, and enabled to lead with dignity.
GivingPi Member Sarika Kulkarni, Founder of Raah Foundation, is reimagining what ecological restoration can look like, placing communities at the heart of environmental change. Through its flagship Regreen initiative, the foundation is on an ambitious path to restore 50,000 acres of degraded land in the Northern Western Ghats of Maharashtra. Already, 1,200 acres have been revived through the planting of 1.87 million native saplings and 1.8 million vetiver slips - a sciencebacked strategy for soil stabilization and moisture retention. The model blends traditional knowledge with ecological science, using native seed collection and community-run nurseries to drive an 83% sapling survival rate and over 300% natural regeneration in some areas. The project’s impact on surrounding biodiversity has been striking with native birds, insects, and small mammals returning to previously barren lands. At the core of this transformation is deep tribal community engagement. Over the past year, Raah Foundation has generated 15,000+ person-days of employment, equipping local residents with the tools, training, and awareness to manage land sustainably and navigate human-wildlife conflict. With plans to restore another 500 acres in the coming year, the foundation remains committed to community-led governance and the long-term sustainability of restored landscapes.
Udhyam Learning Foundation, Founded by GivingPi Member Mekin Maheshwari, is transforming the future of India’s youth by placing mindsets at the heart of education. Through its Entrepreneurial Mindset Development Program (EMDP), Udhyam has reached nearly 3 lakh students across Andhra Pradesh, at just $0.50 per student, proving that large-scale, low-cost education reform is possible. A landmark RCT involving over 31,000 students revealed measurable gains in academics, confidence, self-agency, and decision-making, with girls showing the most profound transformation. By partnering with the Andhra Pradesh government, Udhyam embedded entrepreneurial thinking into school systems, equipping students not just to survive, but to thrive in a complex world. In a country grappling with youth unemployment and deep gender gaps, EMDP is a scalable blueprint for change, backed by evidence and powered by belief. Mekin and the Udhyam team are now focused on scaling this impact across India. To know more, click here.
The Knowledge Society (TKS), Co-Founded by GivingPi Member Nadeem Nathoo and Navid Nathoo, is a global program for ambitious students aged 13–17, designed to help young people explore emerging technologies and solve real-world problems. Inspired by learning environments at Stanford, MIT, and Harvard - and developed in collaboration with industry experts and global leaders - TKS equips students with the tools, mindsets, and community to make an impact on a global scale. Since launching, TKS has grown into a network of over 6,000 students and alumni across 110 countries. The 2024-2025 cohort includes 1,150 students - including more than 20 second-year participants from India. With rising demand, India has become a major focus for expansion over the next five years. TKS students have built AI tools to help companies like Shell manage supply chain risk, designed underwater robots that cut marine fuel costs by 15%, developed diagnostic tools using biosensors, and co-founded startups backed by Sam Altman and Sequoia Capital. Beyond their accomplishments, TKS emphasizes access: over 70% of participants receive financial support. In India especially, the organization is committed to ensuring that financial constraints never limit a student’s ability to participate in TKS. The goal is to make the program fully accessible to every motivated teenager with the potential to innovate and lead. Support from donors and partners is critical to this mission, providing not only education but also connection to mentorship, networks, and realworld opportunities that enable students to drive meaningful change. As TKS continues to expand its presence in India, it seeks partnerships with organizations and individuals who share a commitment to empowering young innovators to shape a better future.
HungerMitao - meaning “wipe out hunger” - is a powerful, volunteer-driven movement co-founded by GivingPi Members Raj and Anna Asava when they learned that almost 50 million people in the USA (out of a population of 330 million) are food insecure. Since its launch in 2017, the initiative has galvanized the Indian American community to support hunger relief across the U.S., enabling over 75 million meals through the Feeding America network of food banks, with 25 million meals distributed via the North Texas Food Bank alone. What sets HungerMitao apart is its deeply personal, community-powered model - one that connects interested people directly with the best-in-class organizations working in the space. HungerMitao continues to grow in 2025 through grassroots events like Happy Hours, Community concerts, High tea gatherings, and innovative youth-led crosschapter campaigns, all grounded in the belief that no one should go hungry, and that we as the Indian American Community can help by giving where we live. More than just a hunger relief effort, HungerMitao is a movement working to galvanize and activate entire communities through awareness and multiple ways to engage. The movement has been shared with the Chinese, Hispanic and Japanese communities in North Texas. Raj and Anna are exploring ways of bringing this model to India. To get involved or learn more, please write to [email protected]. To checkout their latest newsletter, click here.
GivingPi Member Donald Lobo has been a long-time supporter of Change the Script (CTS), a gathering hosted by Dream a Dream since 2015, with the goal of transforming the Indian education system to better support young people, particularly those from vulnerable backgrounds, in developing life skills and thriving in the 21st century. CTS recognizes that no single institution can change the system alone and creates a collaborative space for stakeholders to reflect, learn, and commit to reshaping culture, policy, and practice. It invites 100 key leaders – policymakers, non-profit leaders, young people, funders, government officials, educators and other stakeholders – to reimagine education through the lens of systemic transformation. CTS works to inspire a mindset shift among individuals and institutions—redefining success to mean holistic thriving, integrating life skills into education, and co-creating a system rooted in equity, dignity, and inclusion. If you would like to know more about the CTS 2025 gathering happening in August 2025 please write to [email protected].
Maya Patel and Deval Sanghavi
This article authored by GivingPi Member, Maya Patel and Co-Founder and Partner of Dasra, Deval Sanghavi, explores how pooled funding, a model where multiple donors collectively invest in large-scale solutions can be reimagined to better align with local needs and drive greater impact.
Vaishali Dar
This article talks about how India’s philanthropic landscape is expanding beyond traditional giving, with families increasingly championing climate action, mental health and the arts. This new wave of philanthropy is defined by bold, long-term bets, value-led leadership, and a commitment to driving systemic change.
ET Tech | The Economic Times
This article spotlights Change Engine, an accelerator founded by Varun Aggarwal, Shubham Bansal, and Shailendra Nath Jha, with a bold mission - to build 20 non-profit unicorns that can drive India’s next wave of social transformation. By applying a venture-style scale playbook to the development sector, Change Engine supports high-potential non-profits tackling critical issues.
