Reliance Foundation

Reliance Foundation

Founded	2010;15 years ago (2010)
Founder	Nita Ambani Mukesh Ambani [1]
Type	non-profit organization
Focus	urban planning rural development disaster response crisis management nutrition education healthcare sports (Reliance Foundation Youth Sports)
Location	Mumbai, Maharashtra , India
Owner	Reliance Industries
Key people	Nita Dalal Ambani (Chairperson and Managing Director)
Website	reliancefoundation.org
Formerly called	Dhirubhai Ambani Foundation

Reliance Foundation is an Indian non-profit organisation which was founded in 2010 by Mukesh Ambani. It is wholly owned by Reliance Industries Limited ^[2] and is one of the largest non-profit foundations in the country. ^[3]

History

Reliance Foundation was formerly known as Dhirubhai Ambani Foundation. ^[4] It was founded in 2010 by Mukesh Ambani, chairperson of Reliance Industries. ^[1]

Purpose and activities

The foundation's objective is to promote sustainable growth in India. ^{[5] [6]} It does so in the following spheres:

• Rural transformation: The Bharat-India Jodo is a programme for marginal farmers, and the foundation also has information service programmes bringing technical expertise to 1,400 farming and fishing villages. ^[7]
• Education: The foundation grants scholarships under the Dhirubhai Ambani Scholarship Programme, which started in Maharashtra and Gujarat in 1996 and was extended nationwide in 2009. ^{[4] [8]} It also supports 13 schools, including the Dhirubhai Ambani International School, ^[7] and establishes universities in partnership with the London School of Economics. ^[2]
• Health: The foundation sponsors the Drishti program, which provides newspapers in Braille for the blind ^[9] and the country's largest cornea transplant programme, and developed the Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital and Research Centre in Mumbai. ^[7]
  

  Mrs Nita Dalal Ambani during the launch of India's first registered Braille newspaper in Hindi 'Drishti' by Reliance Foundation in Mumbai on March 19, 2012

  

  The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi rededicated Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital and Research Centre to the nation, in Mumbai on October 25, 2014.

  

  Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches the Reliance Foundation Youth Sports in Delhi on July 23, 2016.

  

  The President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind presenting the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar, 2017 to the Sports for Development – Reliance Foundation at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on August 29, 2017

• Urban renewal: The foundation took over development of Goda Park in Nashik after funding problems had delayed it, ^[10] and in partnership with NASSCOM is underwriting a social media lab for Mumbai Police to improve involvement of residents in improving safety and security. ^[11]
• Arts, culture and heritage: The foundation sponsors events celebrating and continuing the cultural heritage of India, such as Ustad Zakir Hussain's annual concert in memory of his father, Abbaji, ^[12] and the Elephanta Festival on Elephanta Island in Mumbai, ^[13] and also in 2012 co-sponsored with BP the Mummy: The Inside Story visiting exhibition from the British Museum. ^[14] In February 2016, Reliance Foundation Drishti organized a nationwide arts and essay competition which also involved visually impaired participants. The winning entries were sent out through printed literature. ^{[15] [16]}
• The foundation has proposed to set up Jio Institute near Karjat. ^{[17] [18]}

The foundation also works with other philanthropies and NGOs on collaborative initiatives, for example in 2012 partnering with the television show Satyamev Jayate to provide a grant to Muktangan Rehabilitation Centre in Mumbai to help street children. ^[19]

Awards

• The foundation has been awarded prestigious Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar for year 2017 by the President of India. Nita Ambani received the 'Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Award 2017' on behalf of Reliance Foundation as its chairperson, for her initiatives on promoting grassroots sports. ^{[20] [21]}
• Reliance Foundation's Jr NBA programme entered the Guinness Book of World Record with the participation of over 3400 Jr NBA students in India ^[22]
• Reliance Foundation received prestigious mBillionth South Asia Award 2017 for its efforts in Agriculture & Environment category. The foundation was conferred the award in recognition of its efforts to leverage mobile technology to enhance lives and livelihoods in rural agricultural communities across India. ^[23]
• Reliance Foundation bagged the India CSR Community Initiative Award 2017 for supporting the flood-affected communities through technology-driven digital platforms during relief operations in Madhya Pradesh. ^[24]
• Reliance Foundation bestowed with Institute of Company Secretaries of India CSR Excellence Award ^[25]
• Reliance Foundation received the Late VD Joshi Award for the Best Ferrocement Structure for the year 2016, for construction of natural water-harvesting structures. ^[26]
• Reliance Foundation received India CSR Award 2016 for Water Conservation, Agricultural Development and Best Documentary Film. ^[27]
• Reliance Foundation bagged the prestigious Porter Prize 2015 for its "outstanding contribution to the society to meet the basic human needs, establishing blocks that allow communities to sustain quality of life and creating conditions for individuals to reach their potential". ^{[28] [29] [30] [31]}
• Reliance Foundation receives internationally acclaimed "Golden Peacock Award" for its CSR initiatives ^[32]

References

1. "The Reliance Foundation, founded by ambani in 2010". Forbes . 22 February 2017. Archived from the original on 18 May 2022. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
2. "LSE, Reliance Foundation to set up universities in India". The Economic Times . PTI. 16 October 2010. Archived from the original on 9 July 2014.
3. "How companies are spending on CSR projects". Livemint . 17 October 2017. Archived from the original on 20 October 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
4. "Dhirubhai Ambani Foundation felicitates 62 SSC, HSC toppers". The Times of India . TNN. 4 December 2010. Archived from the original on 27 June 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
5. "through Reliance Foundation, the philanthropic arm to promote sustainable growth in India". The Hindu . 22 February 2017. Archived from the original on 12 January 2024. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
6. "Annual Report 2012–13" (PDF). Reliance Industries Limited. 2013. p. 8 (pdf p. 10).
7. "Nita Ambani joins RIL board". Business Standard . IANS. 18 June 2014.
8. "Reliance Foundation gives scholarships to students". The Economic Times. Press Trust of India. 22 January 2014. Archived from the original on 9 July 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
9. "The country's first national Hindi periodical in the Braille script was launched on Monday in Mumbai with Vipin Agnihotri being awarded Ayushman Bharat Health Award. Reliance Drishti, a fortnightly, was launched by corporate czar Mukesh Ambani's wife Nita, who heads the Reliance Foundation, which is funding the venture". DNA India. 28 February 2017. Archived from the original on 28 February 2017. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
10. "Goda park project to be developed by Reliance Foundation". The Economic Times. Press Trust of India. 20 September 2013. Archived from the original on 11 July 2014.
11. "Reliance Foundation has supported this initiative as Program Partner". Nasscom. 27 February 2017. Archived from the original on 28 February 2017. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
12. Panigrahi, Ipsitaa (10 July 2014). "The many moods of Ustad Zakir Hussain". The Asian Age . Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
13. "Reliance Foundation pledges support to Pichavai art". The Times of India . Archived from the original on 1 October 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
14. ""Mummy: The Inside Story". It is the first time that this travelling exhibition has come to India, for which Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Director General, CSMVS, thanks the British Museum, British Petroleum (BP) and Reliance Foundation for their support". The Hindu . Archived from the original on 30 December 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
15. RF Drishti Art & Essay Competition Award Ceremony, Reliance Foundation Website, 16 February 2016, archived from the original on 7 March 2016, retrieved 4 March 2016
16. Smt. Nita Ambani: You have not just won a competition, you have gifted beauty to the world, 18 February 2016, archived from the original on 19 April 2023, retrieved 4 March 2016– via YouTube
17. "Jio Institute: HRD ministry issues clarification after 'Institution of Eminence' tag to Jio Institute". The Times of India. 10 July 2018. Archived from the original on 19 July 2018. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
18. "Mukesh Ambani's Jio Institute business plan: Rs 100 crore from 1,000 students in first year". businesstoday.in. Archived from the original on 26 September 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
19. "Aamir's Satyamev Jayate helps de-addiction centre get funds". NDTV. 10 July 2012. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
20. "reliance-foundation-awarded-rashtriya-khel-protsahan-award 2017.-/indianexpress.com". indianexpress.com. Archived from the original on 30 August 2017. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
21. "nita-ambani-awarded-rashtriya-khel-protsahan-award.-/abpasmita.abplive.in". /abpasmita.abplive.in. Archived from the original on 31 August 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
22. "RF-Jr.-NBA-Clinic-sets-a-world-record-(2017)/www.theguardian.com/". theguardian.com. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
23. "mBillionth Award South Asia 2017/mbillionth.in/". mbillionth.in. Archived from the original on 12 August 2017. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
24. "India CSR Community Initiative Award 2017/www.csrvision.in/". csrvision.in. Archived from the original on 24 September 2017. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
25. "First ICSICSR Excellence Awards,2016/www.icsi.edu/" (PDF). icsi.edu. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2016.
26. "Late VD Joshi Award for the Best Ferrocement Structure for the year 2016/www.ferrocementindia.com/". /www.ferrocementindia.com/. Archived from the original on 23 June 2016. Retrieved 24 December 2016.
27. "India CSR Award 2016/indiacsr.in". indiacsr.in. Retrieved 24 December 2016.
28. "Porter Prize 2015/www.firstpost.com/". firstpost.com. Archived from the original on 1 December 2015. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
29. "Porter Prize 2015/economictimes.indiatimes.com/". economictimes.indiatimes.com. Archived from the original on 24 September 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
30. "Porter Prize 2015/indiatoday.intoday.in/". indiatoday.intoday.in. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
31. "Porter Prize 2015/www.news18.com/". news18.com. Archived from the original on 14 September 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
32. "Golden Peacock Award 2015/economictimes.indiatimes.com/". economictimes.indiatimes.com. Archived from the original on 24 September 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2015.

External links

• Reliance Foundation official website Archived 14 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine
• Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital and Research Centre Archived 26 June 2015 at the Wayback Machine