Jamsetji Tata Top Donor in 100 Years

TNI Bureau:  As per a report prepared by Hurun Research and EdelGive Foundation, Indian business doyen Jamsetji Tata, the founder of the Tata Group has emerged as the world’s generous philanthropist in the last 100 years, donating $102 billion.

The research by Edel-Give Foundation and Hurun India, titled “Philanthropists of the Century,” named 50 of the world’s greatest philanthropists. The United States comes in first with 39 persons, followed by the United Kingdom with 5, China with 3, and India with two.

Tata is the only Indian in the top 10 list. The other Indian among the top 50 is Azim Premji, former chairman of Wipro, who is ranked 12th.. Among the top 5 are Bill and Melinda Gates, Henry Wellcome, Howard Hughes, and Warren Buffett. Mackenzie Scott, Jeff Bezos’ former wife, donated $8.5 billion to charity directly, the largest ever given by a live contributor in a single year.

The ranking is based on Total Philanthropic Value, which is determined as the sum of contributions or distributions to date plus the value of assets adjusted for inflation. The information was gathered from publicly available sources and, in some cases, directly from the foundations themselves.

Jamsetji Tata founded Tata Iron and Steel Works Company (TISCO) in Jamshedpur, which is today known as Tata Steel in Jamshedpur. Jamsetji Tata was recognised for his cotton and pig iron operations. According to sources, Tata Steel, which was founded in 1907, today works in 26 countries, including India, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, and employs about 80,500 people.

Wipro’s Premji, on the other hand, signed the Giving Pledge in 2013 and pledged to give away at least half of his fortune. He began by donating $2.2 billion to the Azim Premji Foundation, which focuses on Indian education. He was named the top philanthropist in India on the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List for 2020.