Rainmatter Foundation
Rainmatter Foundation is the philanthropic and grant-making arm of the Zerodha group, operated as an entity distinct from the commercial investment vehicle Rainmatter Capital. The Foundation provides non-returnable grants to non-profit organisations, social enterprises, and early-stage initiatives working on climate resilience, sustainable livelihoods, preventive health, and mental health in India. It is funded from profits generated by the Zerodha group and from personal contributions by Nithin Kamath and Nikhil Kamath.
The Foundation does not operate as a SEBI-regulated investment manager; its activities are governed by the applicable laws for charitable trusts or section 8 companies under Indian corporate law, including the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act provisions relevant to any international donor activity.
Mandate and focus areas
Rainmatter Foundation’s published mandate focuses on three interconnected themes:
Climate resilience
The climate programme provides grants to organisations working on adaptation and mitigation in the Indian context. Priority areas include sustainable agriculture and farmer resilience to climate shocks, clean energy access in rural and peri-urban communities, water conservation and watershed management, and biodiversity protection. The Foundation has supported organisations working on natural farming practices, agroforestry, and carbon-sequestration-based livelihoods.
For the venture capital dimension of climate investing within the Rainmatter ecosystem, see Rainmatter Climate.
Preventive health
The health programme focuses on improving access to preventive and primary healthcare rather than tertiary or curative care. Grantees include organisations building community health worker networks, menstrual health and sanitation programmes, preventive nutrition interventions, and accessible mental health support.
The emphasis on prevention reflects the Foundation’s view that the Indian healthcare system is structurally oriented toward treatment of acute illness and that systemic health outcomes can be improved more cost-effectively through early intervention.
For the investment dimension of health technology within the Rainmatter ecosystem, see Rainmatter Health.
Financial inclusion
A third strand of the Foundation’s work, somewhat overlapping with Rainmatter Capital’s commercial investments, addresses financial literacy and inclusion for underserved communities. This includes grants to organisations running financial education programmes, women’s self-help group financial empowerment initiatives, and community-level savings and insurance awareness.
Governance and funding
Rainmatter Foundation is governed by a board that includes representatives of the founding family and independent domain experts in climate, health, and social enterprise. Nithin Kamath has publicly committed to directing a meaningful share of Zerodha group profits to the Foundation on an ongoing basis, though no formal legally binding commitment on the quantum of donation has been publicly disclosed.
The Foundation publishes annual impact reports describing its grant portfolio, grantee activities, and self-assessed outcomes. These reports are available on the Foundation’s website and constitute the primary source of publicly accessible information on its activities.
Distinction from Rainmatter Capital
Rainmatter Capital and Rainmatter Foundation share the Rainmatter brand and the Zerodha founding family’s stewardship but operate with entirely different mandates:
- Rainmatter Capital is a commercial venture capital fund seeking financial returns on equity investments in fintech and climate technology startups.
- Rainmatter Foundation provides non-returnable grants with no expectation of financial return, targeting social and environmental outcomes.
Some organisations receive both forms of support from the Rainmatter ecosystem (grant funding from the Foundation for capacity building, and equity investment from Capital for commercialisation), but the governance and financial flows of the two entities are kept separate.
See also
References
- Rainmatter Foundation. “Annual Impact Report.” Rainmatter Foundation website, 2023-2026.
- Kamath, Nithin. “Why we set up Rainmatter Foundation.” Zerodha Blog, various dates.
- Ministry of Corporate Affairs. Company master data, Rainmatter Foundation. MCA21 portal.
- Zerodha. “Rainmatter Foundation, group disclosures.” Zerodha website. Accessed May 2026.