Letter from the CEO | RNP Annual Report 24-25

Dear Friends,

Some of the most important moments in life happen not when we are moving, but when we stop. Journeys take us to new places, but it is in gathering that we make sense of what we have seen. Travel broadens our understanding, yet it is in conversation that perspectives deepen, and ideas turn into something we can hold on to. This past year at RNPF, we spent less time on the road and more time in rooms filled with partners, funders, and changemakers. We gathered to listen, share, learn, and co-create. To exchange ideas and test assumptions, sharpen strategies, and strengthen the relationships that make lasting change possible.

Convenings became a lens through which we could see and connect the many threads of our work, from grant-making and field-building to knowledge creation and philanthropic collaboration.

Gatherings work best when they increase our surface area for serendipity. The most valuable insights often don’t come from scheduled discussions but from unexpected moments of connection: a conversation during a break, an idea sparked from a shared experience, or a partnership that forms over a simple meal. Last year, we saw that happen again and again.

Our convenings helped sharpen strategic direction across portfolios. In Climate & Environment, 35 partners shaped a collective understanding of challenges, from conservation to climate adaptation and emerging technologies. Manotsava, our first public-facing mental health festival, championed the idea of creating a platform that bridges the gap between science and society, one that celebrates scientific rigour, bold ideas, diverse voices, and collective joy. Gatherings in philanthropy explored trust, accountability, and values in giving, while a convening of finance and compliance leaders led to the formation of PATTIC, a platform to strengthen transparency in civil society.

Our reports reflected the diversity and depth of the work we support. A study on fatherhood, developed in partnership with the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) and Equimundo: Center for Masculinities and Social Justice , examined how men in India are redefining their identities as caregivers. It felt like a quiet but critical shift in the gender landscape. Our longevity report, developed in collaboration with Dalberg and Ashoka , reframes ageing as more than a health or demographic issue, widening the conversation to an opportunity to reimagine what purposeful living can look like in later life. Both were launched through multi-stakeholder consultations that mirrored our ethos of listening, dialogue, and co-creation.

We also leaned into emergent themes. Our work on heat resilience and disaster preparedness asked how communities adapt in the face of growing climate stress. In sustainable agriculture, our partnerships have surfaced important questions around farmer-to-farmer knowledge systems, ecological financing, and how data and indigenous wisdom can inform adaptive practices. We focused on Digital Samaaj, moving beyond the immediate applications or instrumentality of new technologies. Rather than framing this solely through lenses like responsible AI or digital literacy, we ask: how can emerging digital technologies foster greater equity and resilience in society, and where might they fall short?

And of course, Rohini’s presence continued to be a source of clarity and leadership. Whether convening funders, amplifying nature storytelling through Nilgiris: A Shared Wilderness, or holding space at the Hearth Summit, she reminded us that philanthropy isn’t only about solving problems. It is also about creating the conditions for insight, courage, and generosity to emerge.

This year has deepened my conviction that philanthropy’s greatest strength is nurturing relational capital. Resources alone do not create lasting change. Relationships do. The depth of trust between partners, the ability to align around shared goals, and the willingness to challenge and refine ideas together are what turn funding into real impact. Convenings build that capital by creating the conditions for long-term collaboration, mutual accountability, and shared learning.

The deepest work often leaves no immediate trace: a conversation that plants a seed, a shared silence that builds trust, a question that lingers long after the gathering ends. Over time, these invisible threads weave the fabric of the field. Our task is not just to convene, but to cultivate these invisible bonds that carry change forward.

In the year ahead, our work will continue to evolve. We will hold smaller, focused convenings, spend more time in the field, and create even stronger bridges between partners, funders, and communities. Manotsava will return, bringing new conversations on mental health to a wider audience. Our work in justice, climate, and civic engagement will push further into cross-sector collaboration. And as always, we will stay close to our partners, shaping our work alongside those who know challenges and opportunities best.

Gathering is not just something we do; it’s something we are. It is how we build, how we listen, and how we grow. This year has shown us that the right spaces, held with intention, can create the kind of change that lasts.

With gratitude,

Gautam John (CEO, RNP)

• To read our Annual Report, click here.
• To catch a glimpse of RNP’s 2024–25 highlights, watch this video co-created with LastBench.