IIT Madras fundraising soars to an all-time high of Rs 131 cr from alumni & corporates in FY22

IIT Madras has raised a historic all-time high sum of Rs 131 crore from alumni, donors, and corporate firms during the financial year of 2021-22 to further its philanthropic and socially-relevant projects.

The institute aims to accelerate fundraising by strengthening alumni networks and increasing engagement with corporates, philanthropics and high-net-worth individuals. The fundraising activities are spearheaded by the Office of Alumni and Corporate Relations.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the fundraising from alumni, donors and corporate firms has been increasing by over 30% YoY. The number of corporate firms donating funds to IIT Madras through CSR has almost doubled in the last five years. Fundraising from Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) partnerships accounts for nearly half of the total Rs. 131 crore raised in the last financial year.

A key factor driving this fundraising has been the IIT Madras faculty who are carrying out path-breaking research and undertaking effective execution of socially-relevant projects.

Mahesh Panchagnula, Dean (Alumni and Corporate Relations), IIT Madras, said in a release: “IIT Madras is fortunate to have thousands of alumni invest both time and money to grow the Institute. This group is crucial to the Institute’s future development.”

The funds raised have been vital in supporting infrastructure development, scholarships, chair professorships, research, and initiatives to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic in particular.

The sectors that attracted major funding include infrastructure, innovative projects for students, faculty research, scholarships and chair professorships.

Kaviraj Nair, Chief Executive Officer, Office of Institutional Advancement, IIT Madras, said, “Our team at IIT Madras has been able to put in place a milestone-based tracking system with clear metrics and rigorous deployment. We have a professional donor stewardship team to ensure that all our projects are managed effectively. All donors want to ensure that their money is utilised in a transparent and impactful way, providing scalable solutions. And we meet all their requirements.”

“We also have entirely volunteer-driven alumni chapters across the world, with alumni who are passionate about supporting their Alma Mater in its pursuit of world-class research creating global impact,” he added.