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Activities between
1919 - 1995
From its inception in 1919, up to the mid 1990s,
the Trusts largely made grants in Bombay. Whilst
the Trusts were largely known for making individual
grants for education and medical relief, they
also made institutional grants. Education, health
and support for allied trusts were the mainstay
of institutional grant making, with a few grants
also being made for the promotion of arts and
heritage, women’s development, rural development,
etc. Compared to the grants made currently, these
were at best modest in comparison.
One of the early ventures of the Trusts was the
Sir Ratan Tata Industrial Institute, which gave
work to needy women at a time when there was a
dearth of openings for women in offices. In 1948,
the Trusts contributed to the setting up of the
National Metallurgical Laboratory at Jamshedpur,
and to the establishment of the Tata Memorial
Centre in the 1970s at Navsari, the birthplace
of Jamsetji Tata
Notable grants and donations until the 80s were
for:
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The establishment of
the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS),
in which the Trusts assisted the Sir Dorabji
Tata Trust (SDTT) |
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The Tata Blood Bank
and the Tata Department of Plastic Surgery
at the JJ Group of Hospitals, both of which
were again jointly funded by SRTT & NRTT
and SDTT |
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The establishment of
the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA),
Bombay |
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The Demographic Centre
at the Institute of Population Studies, Bombay,
for which land was provided by the Trust |
Apart from concentrating on funding the establishment
of prestigious and pioneering institutions, the
Trusts responded to requests from individuals
and institutions, on an ad-hoc basis. Grants were
given to individuals in need of medical assistance
and relief, apart from funds for education. Grants
to institutions covered the themes of education,
urban development, rehabilitation and promotion
of arts. However, education was given the most
importance. The Trusts disbursed Rs166.08 million
in the 76-year period up to March 1995.
In the early 90s, the size of resources was significant,
and the Trustees expressed their interest that
the Trusts goes deeper in its grant making initiatives.
It looked at making the grants’ process more
professional. The first strategic plan was commissioned
in 1994-95, and was prepared by Vijay Mahajan
and Girish Godbole.
Its directions led to:
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Setting up five clear
themes of work |
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Encouragement to the
Trusts to develop its grant making systems
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Developing a pan-India
focus |
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Focusing on strengthening
the non-profit sector, as much as on investing
in specific projects |
Activities between
1995 - 2000
During this phase, the Trusts grew from an annual
disbursal of Rs48 million in 1995-96 to Rs369
million in 2000-01. The number of active grants,
and the total amount disbursed doubled every third
year during this period. The average size of the
grant during this period was Rs5.85 million, which
had grown from Rs1.3 million in 1995-96. During
this period, the Trusts gave grants in 18 states,
including Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh,
Rajasthan and Delhi.
Significant achievements during this phase were:
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Setting up endowment
grants, and publishing the paper ‘Art
of Giving’ by Prof Tushar Shah. This
was meant to assess the potential of endowments
for long-term changes |
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Setting up of a small
grant programme, which allowed for application
form based support |
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Developing deep partnerships
with some of the most significant development
sector organisations |
A new plan, undertaken by Mr Deep Joshi, was
commissioned and completed in 2001 for the period
ending 2006. This plan commended the growth of
the Trusts and the establishing of its grant making
systems. It also challenged the Trust to go beyond
‘resource transfers’ into sectoral engagement.
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“The idea “let
a thousand flowers bloom” has a lot of
merit for a Charity and for any one exploring
the field, as I presume was the case for the
Trust so far. It is now time to begin to think
in terms of a garden. |
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Our sense is that the
Trusts have largely been concerned with making
good grants in the fields of its interest
and less concerned about ‘developing
the field with its grantees and others of
significance’. The track taken by the
Trusts would affect their engagement with
the grantees, which it would begin to see
as partners working on a shared problem. There
would be closer interaction with grantees
as well as other significant actors in the
field. |
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The Trusts would then
also be involved in other processes in the
field besides making grants. The nature of
grants and the composition of the portfolio
would also be affected. There would be long-term
relationships with grantees even when individual
grants are of short duration. The ideas of
strategy and focus would also be informed
by the approach. The experience from the field
would be systematically factored into the
Trusts' grant making. |
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The Trusts would do
much ‘”intrapreneuring” to
create opportunities for making grants. An
agency working ‘on’ a field would
also become known as a significant member
of the professional fraternity in that field.
There are of course shades of such engaging
with the field, but the core picture is that
of a donor in search of good projects, a donor
that closely monitors its contracts. |
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Such pro-action in being
able to see the larger picture and opportunity
is perfectly in order for, and is a part of
being a philanthropy. As the Trusts gain more
experience, they must engage in developing
the field. |
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In certain situations,
the Trusts may have to ‘”intrapreneur”
a strategic constellation. The important point
is that there should be such a constellation
in place, and they must display ownership
of the project/programme.” |
Activities between
2000 - 2009
Over the period 2001-09, the disbursals of the
Trusts have risen from Rs210.43 million during
2001-02 to Rs1,533.64 million during 2008-09.
The grants were made across all five thematic
areas. While programme grants grew from Rs230
million in 2002-03 to Rs1,268 million in 2008-09,
Endowments saw an increase from Rs7 million to
Rs55 million. Individual grants also grew from
Rs71 million to Rs181 million.
The significant achievements have been:
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Development of at least
six national initiatives, which demonstrate
the nature of intrapreneuring suggested by
the strategic plan 2006. |
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Developing partnerships
with state governments |
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Developing alliances
with international knowledge institutions
and multilateral donors |
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Developing four institutions
set up for engaging with the sector; including
the Himmothan Pariyojana, Kharash Vistarotthan
Pariyojana, Centre for microFinance and CInI. |
The Third Strategic Planning exercise was designed,
recognising the growth of each portfolio and the
need therefore of closer thematic engagement.
Specific strategic plans to each sector were commissioned.
Each of these reviewed the progress, looked at
the sectoral challenges, and made recommendations
to the Trusts for their role in strategic grant
making.
An integrative plan was developed which made
institutional recommendations to the Trusts to
manage growth. This plan was prepared by a team
led by Mr Girish Sohani.
The key challenges articulated by the plan today
are:
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Thematic
integration, particularly in geographic areas
of interest |
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Ensuring
institutional development of cells seeded
with the Trusts' support |
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Building
alliances that cut across many of the regional
initiatives |
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Develop
knowledge management systems and further streamline
its processes |
Activities during 2010-11
During 2010-11, the Trusts completed their fourth
year of activities based on the Strategic Plan
2011 (SP 2011). The total disbursals made by the
Trusts during the year were Rs1,687.09 million
($38.34 million). Disbursals of Rs1,367.54 million
($31.08 million) were made on all programme grants
during the year. Endowment grant disbursals totalled
up to Rs22.17 million ($0.50 million). Small grants
touched Rs25.24 million ($57 million). Fifty-six
new programme grants, one endowment grant and
fifty-two new small grants were added to the Trusts’
portfolio during the year. The total disbursals
to individuals amounted to Rs272.14 million ($6.19
million).
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