OVERVIEW: The Mani Charitable Foundation supports education and opportunity in India, as well as education, arts and mental health in the state of Washington.
IP TAKE: The low-profile Mani Foundation has recently conducted its grantmaking through a donor-advised fund at Fidelity Investments, making it exceptionally difficult to understand much about its giving. This funder does not accept requests for funding. A connection to the family may be the only way to get on Mani’s radar.
PROFILE: The Mani Charitable Foundation was established in 2001 by tech couple Devindra Chainani and his wife, Manisha. Devindra has been with Microsoft for decades and has managed engineering teams for products such as Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Visual Studio and Microsoft Azure. Manisha, meanwhile, is a senior program manager at Microsoft. The foundation does not maintain a website and its recent giving has been conducted via a donor-advised fund at Fidelity. Past giving has supported causes in India, as well as mental health, education and the arts.
Grants for Global Development and Human Rights
The Chainanis have supported Pratham USA, which “was established in 1995 to provide education to children in Mumbai slums, and is now one of the largest and most successful non-governmental education organizations in India.” Manisha is interested in nonprofits in India that serve children with special needs and serves on the board of Upaya, which works to provide economic opportunity to impoverished people.
Grants for Arts and Culture
Manisha has demonstrated a commitment to performing arts. She helped to found Liveanklets, which provided Indian classical dance education to children and adults for more than a decade. The couple also the Meany Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Washington.
Grants for Education
The Mani Foundation does not name priorities for its education giving. Past grantees include Chapman University and the Bellevue Schools Foundation.
Grants for Homelessness and Mental Health
Homelessness and related mental health services are smaller areas giving for this funder. Grants have supported the Sophia Way of Bellevue and NAMI Eastside of Redmond.
Important Grant Details:
Past grants have ranged from $260 to $38,500, but as a donor-advised fund, Mani’s current grant ranges are unavailable
- The Mani Foundation has transitioned to a donor-advised fund managed by Fidelity Investments.
- The foundation does not accept applications for funding.
The Mani Foundation does not provide a way to get in touch, but its phone number is (425) 445-1000. A mailing address is provided below.
PEOPLE:
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CONTACT:
Mani Charitable Foundation
c/o D Chainani 9031 NE 19th Street
Clyde Hill, WA 98004
(425) 445-1000
