Artists & Associates

Anmol Vellani did not aspire to become a professional in the field of philanthropy. His early fascination was with the arts, especially theatre, and philosophy, which he studied at the Universities of Poona, Oxford and Cambridge. He taught philosophy at Elphinstone College, Mumbai, in the 1970’s, before joining the Ford Foundation as Programme Officer with responsibility for grant-making in the performing arts, folklore and classical learning in South Asia. This assignment inspired him to establish the India Foundation for the Arts, for which he provided executive leadership for 18 years. He has also served as an advisor to government departments, civil society networks, international foundations and cultural organisations. Anmol’s writing and talks—on arts entrepreneurship, the creative economy, cultural policy, the role of grant-making foundations, culture and development, arts collaboration and the performing arts, for example—have reflected on the insights he has gleaned from his long engagement with the arts and philanthropy.