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Four Indian-origin changemakers among Rockefeller’s first Asia-Pacific fellows
The fellowship supports initiatives in technology, governance, agriculture, marine conservation, and climate resilience, with the aim of driving scalable change across underserved communities.
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Pranavi Sharma - Wed, 25, Jun 2025
- 02:05 EDT
- 11
The announcement was made during the Big Bets Live 2025 event in New York, coinciding with the Foundation’s 112th anniversary. / Rockefellar foundation.
Four Indian-origin leaders have been selected for the Rockefeller Foundation’s first class of Asia-Pacific Big Bets Fellows, a new initiative launched to support local solutions to urgent regional challenges. The announcement was made during the Big Bets Live 2025 event in New York, coinciding with the Foundation’s 112th anniversary.
Aafreen Siddiqui, Anusha Meher Bhargava, Gaurav Godhwani, and Yasser Naqvi are among the 12 changemakers chosen for the inaugural Asia-Pacific cohort. The fellowship spans 27 countries across the region, including India, Nepal, Indonesia, and the Pacific Islands. Fellows will spend four months participating in intensive programming, peer learning, and global networking.
Siddiqui leads Our Common Air, which works to combat air pollution through collective action and improved accountability. Bhargava heads Tech4Good Community, aiming to protect biodiversity using open-source technology and a new platform for data-sharing among conservationists and policymakers. Godhwani represents CivicDataLab, where he focuses on using data and AI to support vulnerable communities. Naqvi, from the Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP), is working to build awareness of environmental issues among Indian policymakers.
“These ambitious, creative young leaders are precisely the types of changemakers The Rockefeller Foundation has always proudly supported,” said Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, president of the foundation. “We’re thrilled to be working with them as they advance economic opportunity in their communities, build sustainable ecosystems, and so much more.”
Deepali Khanna, head of Asia at the Foundation, said, “Whether on remote islands or in rapidly growing cities, these leaders are blending their experience and expertise with modern innovation to create a more resilient and hopeful future.”
The Asia-Pacific class follows the launch of similar fellowships in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2024, and in the United States earlier this year. The 2025 fellows were selected from nominations submitted through the Big Bets community and partner networks.
Elizabeth Yee, executive vice president of Programs at the Foundation, said, “I am thrilled to congratulate this class of Fellows and can’t wait to see what more they’ll accomplish.”
The fellowship supports initiatives in technology, governance, agriculture, marine conservation, and climate resilience, with the aim of driving scalable change across underserved communities.
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