About
To contribute to a just, equitable, humane and sustainable society. The Foundation's primary focus is on improving the quality and equity of school education in India.
Founded in 2001 by Wipro Chairman Azim Premji, the Azim Premji Foundation works primarily on education reform across rural India. Its cultural significance lies in its documentation of local knowledge systems, tribal cultural practices and oral traditions through its field programmes, and in the broader philanthropic ecosystem it has helped create in India.
The Azim Premji Foundation was established in 2001 as Azim Premji began channelling significant personal resources toward education reform in India. The Foundation operates directly in over 50 districts across 9 states, working with government schools and local communities. In 2013 Azim Premji signed the Giving Pledge, committing the majority of his wealth to philanthropy, and subsequently donated shares worth billions of dollars to the Foundation, making it one of the largest philanthropic endowments in India. Azim Premji University was established in 2010 as the academic arm, offering programmes in education, development and public policy. The Foundation's work in rural India, particularly with tribal and rural communities, has documented local cultural practices, oral traditions and traditional knowledge systems as part of its community engagement programmes.
Visit & Access
Founding & Leadership
Azim Premji is one of India's most prominent philanthropists and the founder of Wipro Limited. He has committed the majority of his personal wealth, estimated at over $21 billion, to the Azim Premji Philanthropies through the Giving Pledge. While the Foundation's primary focus is education reform in rural India, its work on oral history, tribal knowledge systems and local cultural practices intersects with cultural heritage documentation.
Founder-led board; Anurag Behar serves as CEO
Leadership & Trustees
Initiatives & Portfolio
Direct work with government schools and communities across 50+ districts in 9 states. Includes documentation of local cultural knowledge and practices.
The academic arm established in 2010 offering programmes in education, development and public policy. Includes courses touching on cultural education and community knowledge systems.
Azim Premji Foundation has played a significant role in building India's philanthropic culture, including advocacy for giving among India's ultra-high net worth individuals.
Cultural Funding
Impact & Metrics
Partnerships & Network
Partner institutions
Partners with multiple state governments on education reform; funds a range of civil society organisations through APPI grants; co-founded the Independent and Public-Spirited Media Foundation (IPSMF) with Rohini Nilekani
Credentials & Compliance
Recognition
One of the world's largest philanthropies (education); a deliberate gate-negative in the cultural-funding benchmark.
The Azim Premji Foundation's significance to the cultural sector lies primarily in its scale of philanthropic commitment, its documentation of local and tribal knowledge systems through field programmes, and its role in building India's philanthropic culture. Its endowment and the Giving Pledge commitment represent the largest single philanthropic commitment in Indian history.
The Azim Premji Foundation appears in the Culture Atlas Funding Atlas as one of India's most significant philanthropic organisations. Its primary focus is education rather than the arts, but its scale, its field presence in rural India and its documentation of local cultural practices make it relevant to cultural funders. CSR teams researching major Indian philanthropists will find the Foundation's approach to giving informative as a benchmark.