Sir Ratan Tata Trust
Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT) came into being in 1919 with a sum capital of Rs 8 million. Established in accordance with the will of Sir Ratan Tata,[1] the Trust is now one of the oldest grant bestowing foundations in India[2]
The Trust has, for about a century, been instrumental in development processes, providing grants to institutions in the areas of rural livelihoods and communities, education, health, enhancing civil society and governance and arts, crafts and culture.[3][4]
The Trust provides grants and partner with organisations that engage in innovative and sustainable initiatives and with the potential to make a visible difference. It also provides grants for endowments, has a separate programme for small grants and gives grants to individuals for education and medical relief.
SRTT is headed by Mr. Arun Pandhi (chief development manager and overall in charge of all programmes) and B. S. Taraporevala (secretary and chief accountant and overall in charge of all administrative and financial matters)
The grants offered by the Trust can be broadly classified as:[5]
- Institutional grants
- Endowment grants
- Small grants
- Individual grants
Institutional grants
The bulk of these grants are in the areas of rural livelihoods and communities and education. Within rural livelihoods and communities the Trust focuses on key initiatives within two broad areas:
- Land and water development
- Microfinance
Educational grants
This programme is currently headed by Ms. Amrita Patwardhan
- Reforming elementary education
- Nurturing education as a discipline
- Alternative education
- Higher education
Health grants
This Programme is currently headed by Dr. Vikram Gupta
- Rural health programmes
- Specialised healthcare services
- Health resources and health systems
- Clinical establishment
- Donate poor patients taking treatment in private hospitals.
Grants for enhancing civil society and governance
This Programme is currently headed by Ms. Vartika Jaini
- Citizenship and participation
- Human rights and governance
- Governance in civil society
Arts, crafts, and culture
Sustaining livelihoods in performing arts
Under this sub-theme, the Trusts focus on revival of the performing arts with a strong emphasis on the livelihoods of performing artists. This will be achieved through support to:
- Promotion of networks of artist communities
- Encouragement of collective learning and self-help
- Cultivating markets and audiences
- Enhancing the artists ability to attract financial support and increased performance avenues
Crafts-based livelihoods initiatives
Through this new sub-theme, the SRTT aim to ensure sustenance of crafts and craft communities. The Trusts look to support initiatives that
- Provide catalytic training for Indian Craft Artisans
- Ensure the Craft Artisans attain financial security and the Indian Crafts gain market visibility
- Have potential scaling-up possibilities that can impact large artisan livelihoods
Conservation and digitization
Under this sub-theme, SRTT primarily supports projects to devise strategies by which to conserve national art treasures and enhance public use and access to endangered cultural heritage.
Community media and livelihoods
Support community based media projects that have the potential to add value to the quality of life of communities, especially in the rural areas
Endowment grants
The Trust has developed and used endowments to sustain mission-driven institutions that influence positive change in society. It has a formal endowment strategy with well-set norms and clearly defined criteria that enable it to identify and appraise deserving institutions. The endowment portfolio includes: Professional Assistance for Development Action (New Delhi), National Council of Applied Economic Research (New Delhi). Child Relief and You (Mumbai), Centre for Science and Environment (New Delhi) and Children's Book Trust (New Delhi).[6]
Small grants
The Sir Ratan Tata Small Grant Programme (SGP) was launched in 1998–99. These cater to the needs of small, welfare-oriented organisations, and those needing support to implement innovative ideas. It was later amended to accommodate the worthy larger organisations that needed funding for strategic planning, focused research activities, or strengthening internal systems.[7][8]
Individual grants
The Individual Grants Programme of the Trust provides financial help for:
- Meeting medical contingencies
- Scholars pursuing higher education in India and assistance for education-related overseas travel.