The Paluri Foundation.
palurifoundation.org — the Foundation’s own home, with lot more information.
A small family foundation my wife Ashwini and I started in 2020 — partnering with the brightest minds on the hardest social problems, to create equal opportunity.
Why we started it
We started the Foundation in 2020, in the throes of the pandemic. When the world was struggling and adapting, Ashwini and I realized how fortunate we were to have a stable life and good health — and that life is unpredictable enough that “later” isn’t guaranteed.
Both of us come from families that weren’t affluent. Our parents made real sacrifices so we could get the best education they could find. The Foundation is our way of paying that forward — a platform for mindful citizens to extend either financial support or personal time to causes that matter.
“Paluri Foundation is our avenue to pour our energy towards better outcomes for more people.”
What we focus on
We back partners using technology and rigorous research to take on hard, structural problems — the ones where smart investment compounds. We favor small, focused commitments with people we know and trust.
- Education. Our first partnership — supporting Pratham, where Ashwini is now a board member of the SF Bay Area chapter.
- Poverty & livelihoods. Supporting The Nudge Institute on its work to eradicate poverty — we’ve also hosted Nudge events at Meta to bring more supporters into the fold.
- Research & innovation. A ₹1 crore pledge to IIIT Hyderabad — the institute that got me into AI — toward the new Education Block, plus help setting up a match-funding mechanism with technology companies that doubled donations through that channel.
How we operate
The Foundation runs quietly — directly with the people doing the work, not through intermediaries. We don’t currently accept unsolicited proposals outside our existing program areas.