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TIME names 3 Indian Americans on 2026 Philanthropy list
The inaugural TIME100 Philanthropy list recognizes global leaders in philanthropy, social impact, public health, democracy, and large-scale charitable giving.
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Malvika Choudhary - Tue, 19, May 2026
- 12:49 EDT
- 40
(From L-R) Rajiv J. Shah, Deepak Bhargava, Anna Verghese / TIME
Three Indian American philanthropists and foundation leaders have been named to the 2026 TIME100 Philanthropy list.
Rajiv J. Shah, Deepak Bhargava, and Anna Verghese were recognized among influential philanthropists and nonprofit leaders shaping global giving and social impact initiatives.
Also Read: 5 Indian Americans on TIME100 Most Influential People of 2026
In the “Leaders” category, Rajiv J. Shah, president of the Rockefeller Foundation, was recognized for advancing large-scale global partnerships aimed at tackling climate change, food insecurity, energy access, and health care challenges.
Born in Detroit to Gujarati immigrant parents, Shah previously served as administrator of the United States Agency for International Development under former President Barack Obama and also held leadership roles at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He has led the Rockefeller Foundation since 2017.
The foundation recently partnered with YouTuber MrBeast and Beast Philanthropy to open a school kitchen in Kenya and has also participated in Mission 300, an initiative aimed at connecting 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030.
According to him, meaningful change requires collaboration across sectors. “We need to work with faith-based institutions, and heads of state, government officials, with entrepreneurs, with academic scientists,” Shah told TIME. “It’s through these kinds of broad partnerships that we are able to really make a difference.”
Referring to research supported by the Rockefeller Foundation and published in The Lancet, Shah said, “When things are taken apart, it's important to know what the impact of that will be, because human life, anywhere in the world, should matter to all of us.”
Also named in the “Leaders” category was Deepak Bhargava, president of the Freedom Together Foundation.
Born in Bengaluru and raised in New York after immigrating to the United States as a child, Bhargava has spent decades in grassroots activism and community organizing. Before taking over the foundation in 2024, he led Community Change for 16 years, focusing on immigration, racial justice, and economic equality campaigns.
According to TIME, Freedom Together increased its annual payout to 10 percent of its assets, significantly above the standard 5 percent foundation payout level, and distributed more than $400 million through over 530 grants last year, with most focused on pro-democracy efforts.
“We are at an inflection…with severe challenges to fundamental rights, the rule of law, and basic norms,” Bhargava said. “That demands an extraordinary response.”
In the “Innovators” category, Anna Verghese was recognized for leading fundraising efforts through the Audacious Project, a collaborative initiative housed within TED that supports large-scale nonprofit projects.
Verghese, who has Kerala roots, serves as executive director of the initiative and has helped expand collaborative philanthropy efforts bringing together major donors to fund large-scale global projects. Before joining the Audacious Project, she worked in strategy and nonprofit leadership roles focused on social impact initiatives.
TIME revealed that Verghese convened 35 major global donors in October for a two-and-a-half-day fundraising event that generated more than $1 billion in commitments for 13 nonprofit organizations. Donors involved included Melinda French Gates, Reed Hastings, and Connie Ballmer.
“This kind of collaborative philanthropy space is fledgling. It’s growing year by year,” Verghese said. “But to see more folks doing this kind of philanthropy together would be amazing.”
Since its launch in 2018, the Audacious Project has directed more than $8 billion in multi-year unrestricted funding toward 70 projects globally.
The TIME list also included Indian businessman Shiv Nadar and sibling duo Sudhir Mehta and Samir Mehta for their philanthropic contributions, including work related to health care initiatives in India.
The inaugural list highlights individuals working across public health, democracy, education, climate, and large-scale charitable giving, as philanthropy globally moves more than $1 trillion annually.
Discover more at New India Abroad.
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