Idea to intent to objective
Ratan Tata laid the ground for a rethink in the way the Tata Trusts operated, opening up new avenues to maximise impact
Ratan Naval Tata was that rare leader — a humanist with a vision for enterprise that embraced both business and social impact. When he stepped down from the helm of the Tata group in 2012 to focus on his role as chairman of the Tata Trusts, he brought a similar consideration of strategic and sustainable impact to the work that the institution was engaged in across India. Mr Tata’s leadership led to a redefining of the operations, objectives and purpose of one of India’s largest philanthropic organisations.
One change was an integration of the operations of the various entities — the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and the Sir Ratan Tata Trust being the largest among a collective of more than a dozen trusts — to achieve greater bang for the philanthropic buck.
Another shift was a rethink of the way the Trusts functioned. Up till 2012, the Trusts were primarily grant givers, disbursing finances to NGO implementation partners as well as individuals in need of financial support for higher education and medical care. Mr Tata felt that there was potential for a fresh look at the manner and scope of philanthropic grants.
In an interview with Tata Review in 2016, he explained his thinking: “The question I ask is: Is that all we are, a supplier of [grant] funds, or an identifier of good NGOs? Or should we be more creative in terms of considering solutions for a given social or demographic problem, in terms of finding solutions that are innovative and more effective than those that have been tried in the past?”
In the 2012-13 annual report of the Trusts — the first after Mr Tata had got more immersed in the institution — the chairman’s message explains that the Trusts were realigning their strategy to concentrate on immediate development issues, for example malnutrition in children under three and improving education outcomes by incorporating technology as a classroom teaching tool.
The Trusts also sought to ensure community-level sustainability through programmes designed to run long after they had exited the scene. The intent was that at the end of, say, a five-year initiative, the community would have recorded an enhancement in the quality-of-life index, while also being in a position to continue reaping rewards on its own.
While the Trusts retained the intensity of their involvement in core development sectors, new areas were added that were relevant to a rapidly changing social uplift landscape, among them environment and climate change, energy, and data-driven decision-making.
Technology and science were Mr Tata’s favoured subjects. The idea and intent were clear: to explore technology to find sustainable and scalable solutions for endemic developmental challenges such as nutrition, access to safe drinking water, education and rural employment.
Technology soon became a critical feature in many programmes, bringing in modern-day approaches to tackling the legacy challenges of social development.
Partnerships — with governments at the centre and in the states, with fellow philanthropies, with nonprofits and other civil society organisations — became a vital piece in the programme equation. These partnerships helped power key initiatives in a spread of themes, notably nutrition, and water and sanitation.
“The involvement and support of state governments is crucial because they have the administration, the penetration, the resources and, in many instances, astute individuals who are very happy to see the money coming in being spent where it should be,” said Mr Tata. “...the states we are working with have been keen to see these programmes succeed, so it has been a win-win kind of situation.”
As the Trusts continue to work with the underserved and marginalised people and communities across India, there is inspiration to be had in Mr Tata’s words: “I have always felt that India suffers from having an environment that is inherently unequal. If I could sum up in one phrase, I’d say my greatest desire as an Indian is to be proud of my country because it is an equal-opportunity nation.”
