BITS ‘99 Batch Fund - Silver Jubilee Class Gift - Returns

Our turn to give back to BITS Pilani, and create a lasting legacy.

Current State of Affairs at BITS Pilani:

1. BITS 4-year tuition at INR 23L vs. INR 8L at IIT, due to no government funding
2. Tuition contributes to 90% of BITS expenses
3. BITS alumni endowments at INR 135CR, 4.5x lower than IITs
4. Girls’ enrollment drops to 12%, due to high tuition

1999 Batch Gift Goal - Total: INR 6CR

A. Endowment for Merit-cum-need scholarships (MCN) (INR 5CR)

Give the gift of BITS education as 5 annual 100% scholarships for 20+ years to

1. 1. Girl students from families with annual income < INR 16L
   2. Students from families with annual income < INR 12L

B. Endowment for Scholarships for children of BITS employees (INR 1CR)

Give the gift of education as 20 annual scholarships for 20+ years to

1. 1. Children of BITS employees (e.g. mess workers) with annual income < INR 3.3L

Why Phase 2:

The goal was to raise INR 6 crores with 750 people, and the results have been incredible. In just 13 weeks (Oct 1, 2024 to Jan 5, 2025), less than a fourth of the group has already contributed over 60% of the target, demonstrating remarkable generosity and support.

A few batchmates asked if they could still contribute, and since we’re aiming to start for the next academic year, we need to give BITS time to finalize with MoU and roll in the scholarships. We're now feeling inspired and optimistic about Phase 2, believing we can actually reach our ambitious goal.

Phase 2 provides an opportunity for:

1. Those who felt left out earlier to join now.
2. Those who reached their donation limit before the campaign began in October 2024 to contribute this year in 2025.
3. Those wanting to make tax-deductible donations before India’s financial year (FY) ends on March 31, 2025.
4. And those looking to contribute again, aiming to help hit the target and benefit from tax deductions or matching contributions for 2025 FY (Overseas) or 2025-26 FY (India).

Phase 2 - towards 100% - Help the batch reach its INR 6 CR goal.

How to Contribute:

Campaign from February 24, 2025 to April 30, 2025.

Donate Now And Fill This Checklist Form.

All amounts are welcome. Please do the best you can, considering the momentous occasion of 25 years. This is the final giving opportunity for the Batch of 1999 before MoU.

Suggested amounts with a few sample choices:

1. INR 35K - Support for 1 annual scholarship for children of BITS workers (BAFCE)
2. INR 99K - Make your unique ID count with 99***
3. INR 3.3L - Claim the magic of 333031
4. INR 5.2L - Support for 1 annual 100% scholarship for a BITSian (MCN)
5. INR 20L - One BITSian’s complete education with mentorship (MCN)

We request you to consider:  

1. PPP of your country of residence vs. INR while deciding on a contribution amount.
2. Paying forward any scholarships received at BITS Pilani when you were a student commensurate with current levels of tuition, if you would want to do so.
3. Contributing a symbolic amount of a week of your salary, which greatly normalizes across geographies.
4. Enhancing the impact of your contribution by leveraging a corporate match policy with your/ your spouse’s employer. Please check on the eligible amount, make the donation, request for the match and let us know. The donation has to be in the name of the person requesting the match. As an example, if the company you work for matches 1:1 up to 10k USD, a donation of 10k USD would be matched to 10k USD for an effective 20k USD, or 2x impact. (More details)
5. If you would like to contribute higher amounts, you are welcome. Please reach out to us so we can work 1:1 with you.

Tax Deductions and Benefits:

1. Tax deductions for the financial year for donations from India and the US.
2. 100% tax-exemption for donations made in India to Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, India with 80(G) benefit.
3. Donations to BITSAA, a 501c(3) organization, is 100% tax deductible for the US.
   1. EIN: EIN: 22-3835037
   2. Address: 1030 E. El Camino Real, #256, Sunnyvale CA 94087
   3. Please include “1999 Batch Fund, Donor Name, ID of Alumnus” in the description

Useful Resources:

1. FAQ
   1. 1999 Batch Fund Initiative
   2. Matching contributions
   3. Tax Benefits
   4. Other ways to contribute
2. Endowment Calculations

Please reach out to us at 99givebacktobitspilani@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Please fill out this checklist form if not already. This form is to serve as a checklist for you and also to enable us to track the donations coming through both domestic and overseas pages. It will facilitate tracking and ensuring your donation is accounted for correctly for our 99 Give Back to BITS Class Gift.

We cannot do this without you.

With gratitude,

1999GiveBack2BITS Team,

Ranga, Arun, Sandhya, Suneetha, Phani, Sarath, Srini, Ajay, Sivakumar, Subashini, Srivathsan, Kaushik, Venkat