|
The
Sir Dorabji Tata Trust was established in 1932 by Sir
Dorab Tata, the elder son of Group founder Jamsetji
Tata, and is one of the oldest, non-sectarian philanthropic
organisations in India. The Trust's vision of constructive
philanthropy has been sensitive to the fast-growing
needs of a developing nation and the work initiated
by the Trust bears contemporary relevance.
The grant-making pattern
of the Trust invloves three broad areas: endowment grants
(grants to Institutions), NGO grants and individual
grants (medical and educational grants).
During 2006-07, the total disbursals made by the Trust
amounted to Rs86.05 crore.
Institutional grants
Endowment grants
The Trust is known for promoting pioneering institutions
of national importance. These include the Tata
Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai; the Tata
Memorial Centre for Cancer Research and Treatment,
Mumbai; the Tata
Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai; the Tata
Agricultural and Rural Training Centre for the Blind,
Phansa; and the National
Centre for the Performing Arts, Mumbai.
Over the years, it has helped in establishing the Sir
Dorabji Tata Trust Centre for Research in Tropical Diseases
at the Indian
Institute of Science, Bangalore, the JRD
Tata Ecotechnology Centre, Chennai, and the National
Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore.
The Trust has also set up the rural campus by the Tata
Institute of Social Sciences at Tuljapur, some 500 km
from Mumbai. The rural campus was conceptualised to
revive the rural economy and society through local resource
mobilisation. Developed over 100 acres in the drought-prone
district of Osmanabad, the location was chosen to evolve
programmes to meet the needs of such regions.
NGO grants
The Trust makes grants to NGOs in five major sectors
of social development:
Management of natural resources:
The Trust has made a significant contribution in this
sector by supporting projects related to water and water
resources, land degradation and better methods of cultivating
and harvesting crops.
Livelihood: The Trust
has backed several projects in the livelihood sector.
These cover, among other initiatives, the plight of
unorganised labourers, capacity building of grassroots
groups and business development of a variety of people-based
organisations.
Education: The Trust
has supported several innovative initiatives in the
field of education, focusing on children, adolescents
and adults — within and outside the formal education
system.
Health: The Trust has
made significant contributions in creating and upgrading
medical infrastructure and healthcare facilities across
the country. It has focused on the area of training
community health workers in ways of preventing diseases
and promoting positive health practices, mental health
and reproductive health. The Trust also supports research
studies in alternative systems of medicine such as ayurveda.
Social development initiatives:
The Trust's social development initiatives cover a range
of areas, including community development, human rights,
family welfare, the physically and mentally challenged,
civil society, art and culture, and relief.
Before sanctioning a grant the Trust assesses the project
or the organisation on the parameters of innovation,
timeliness, sustainability, value addition, promotion
of linkages, geographical spread and the felt needs
of the community.
Small grants
The Trust also gives small grants to organisations for
starting new activities. The Trust believes that a grant,
however small, given at a crucial time can make a great
difference in impacting the lives of people and also
enable the organisation to have more leverage with other
donor organisations.
Individual grants
The Trust gives merit and need-based educational
and medical grants to individuals.
Medical: Financial help is
extended to individuals for the treatment of cancer,
heart ailments, kidney failure, neurological ailments,
gynaecological problems, respiratory ailments, etc.
Education: The Trust also offers
scholarships for higher education and travel grants
for studying abroad as well as for attending conferences,
presentation of papers for research, and sports related
activities.
Besides the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, allied trusts such
as the JRD Tata Trust also provide individual educational
grants for undergraduate and graduate-level studies
in various fields.
The Allied Trusts
The Allied Trusts are, primarily, smaller trusts;
while some have a specific mandate, the rest are broad-based
in their approach to grant making. The Sir Dorabji Tata
Trust administers the Allied Trusts.
The Tata Social Welfare Trust, the RD Tata Trust, the
Tata Education Trust, the JRD Tata Trust, the JRD Tata
and Thelma Tata Trust with a specific focus on women
and children and the Jamsetji Tata Trust focus on overall
developmental issues.
JN
Tata Endowment: The first Trust established
by Jamsetji Tata, in 1892, it provides scholarship loans
to a large number of deserving individuals for the pursuit
of higher studies abroad. Over 120 students are selected
every year as JN Tata scholars from all over India.
Lady Tata Memorial
Trust: Established by Sir Dorabji Tata in 1932 in
memory of his wife, Lady Meherbai, who died of leukaemia
in 1930, the Trust spends four-fifths of its income
on international research, with the help of an International
Advisory Committee, based in London, which invites applications
for awards for support for research in leukaemia worldwide.
The Trust also supports institutional research carried
out by recognised Indian institutions, research laboratories
and leading scientific / medical centres doing research
work in diseases of the blood, with special emphasis
on leukaemia research.
Lady Meherbai Tata
Education Trust: Set up in 1932, the Trust grants
scholarships to young Indian women graduates of recognised
Indian universities for pursuing higher studies abroad
in the field of social work and public health.
Contact
The secretary and chief accountant
Sir Dorabji Tata Trust
Bombay House
24, Homi Mody Street
Mumbai 400 001
India
Phone: +91 (22) 6665 8282
Fax: +91 (22) 2204 5427, 2282 6092
Email: sdtt@sdtatatrust.com
|
