Philanthropist Rohini Nilekani pledges Rs 50 crore to ATREE to conserve the environment
Bengaluru, August 19 2022.
Early last year, Rohini Nilekani, noted philanthropist and author, pledged INR 50 Crores (USD 6.8 Million) to ATREE (Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, Bangalore). As a result, INR 25 crores was granted last year, while the remaining INR 25 crores is granted as matched funding against new grants ATREE raised from other sources.
“The endowment is testimony to the pressing need for the important work done by ATREE. There is an urgent need for institutions to bring together the social and the natural sciences to create knowledge for sustainable and equitable development", said Nilekani.
ATREE is currently celebrating its 25th year of interdisciplinary research focused on carrying out policy-oriented research, outreach, and education in the field of environmental conservation and sustainable development. Ms Nilekani announced the additional ₹25 crore endowment during a two-day event on the 18th and 19th of August at the JN Tata Auditorium. Dr Kamal Bawa, ATREE’s Founder-President and Chair, noted, “The total grant of ₹50 crores will allow ATREE to address the growing environmental challenges such as the loss of biodiversity, water scarcity, and climate change. In addition, these resources will allow ATREE to consolidate and expand our programmes and partnerships.”
ATREE has been consistently ranked among the top 20 environmental think tanks globally and the top 2 in Asia by the University of Pennsylvania index report. Established in 1996, ATREE’s mission is to generate rigorous interdisciplinary knowledge for achieving environmental conservation and sustainable development in a socially just manner, to enable the use of this knowledge by policymakers and society, and to train the next generation of scholars and leaders. “The gift would allow ATREE to engage people and communities in environmental science to build climate resilience”, added Prof. Balaram, Co-chair at ATREE.
Rohini Nilekani, Chairperson - Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies, is on the Board of Trustees of ATREE. Her pledge is exemplary in the long-term vision necessary for the philanthropic support of civil society in India. She is the Founder and former Chairperson of Arghyam, a foundation she set up for sustainable water and sanitation, which funds initiatives across India. She is the Co-founder and Director of EkStep, a non-profit education platform. She serves on the Eminent Persons Advisory Group of the Competition Commission of India. In 2017, she and her husband Nandan Nilekani signed The Giving Pledge, which commits half their wealth to philanthropic causes.
For further queries, reach out to Namratha Murali: namratha.murali@atree.org