BITS 2000 Batch Fund – The Millennium Legacy Catalyst
The BITS Batch Endowment Fund is a cherished initiative and part of a proud tradition, carried forward every year by the reunion batch – our chance to give back to the Institute that gave us so much.
The BITS Pilani Batch of 2000 shares a deep bond forged through years of learning, friendship, and unforgettable experiences on campus. As we mark our 25th reunion in November 2025, we return not just in celebration of the past, but in gratitude to the Institute that shaped our minds, values, and dreams.
The goal of The Millennium Legacy Catalyst is to build a legacy that is focused, powerful, and uniquely associated with the Batch of 2000. The BITS 2000 Batch Fund is our pledge to leave a legacy that will inspire and uplift generations to come. Our vision is to strengthen BITS Pilani’s academic and community fabric, and our mission is to empower students and faculty through initiatives whose impact will echo for decades. This initiative is also a proud continuation of a tradition upheld by every BITS reunion batch since the very first graduating class — a legacy we are determined to honor and enrich.
Join us in this noble endeavor as we come together to create a lasting legacy for the Batch of 2000. Together, we can make a difference!
Objectives of the Millennium Legacy Catalyst Fund
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"Future Women Leaders" Scholarship
A full, four-year, unconditional scholarship that covers the entire tuition fee for deserving female students — from admission all the way through graduation.
Facts and Figures:
- BITS 4-year tuition fees are significantly higher compared to IITs: INR 24L++ versus INR 8L–10L at the IITs.
- BITS alumni batch endowments, though increasing by the year, are currently around 4.5x lower than those of IITs.
- During our batch (2000–2004) at BITS, the gender ratio stood at a balanced ~40%. Today, in the post-BITSAT era, that number has dropped alarmingly to just around 16%.
With the total 4-year degree cost now at approximately ₹24 lakhs (in stark contrast to the highly subsidized fees at IITs: ₹8–10 lakhs total for a 4-year engineering course), many academically brilliant young women are forced to turn down BITS, opting instead for more affordable alternatives — or even compromising on discipline choices — purely due to cost.
Our Impact:
- Give the gift of a BITS education as 4 annual 100% scholarships for 5+ years to girl students from families with annual income < INR 16L.
- Remove financial barriers for meritorious girl students, restoring gender balance on campus and strengthening the BITSian ecosystem.
This model has been successfully adopted by previous batches, and the Dean reaffirmed that it remains one of the most impactful and deeply appreciated ways for alumni to contribute.
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The "Entrepreneurship Grant" and the "Community Pillars" Fund
This combined objective addresses two core BITSian values: strengthening innovation and giving back to the community.
The Entrepreneurship Grant
BITS has long stood as a beacon of meritocracy and innovation. This option seeks to honor that legacy by supporting students who dream of starting their own ventures while still on campus.
Facts and Figures:
- BITS has a proven legacy of producing iconic startups, from Redbus to Swiggy, that have shaped India’s digital landscape.
- The institute fosters a vibrant ecosystem with initiatives like the Technology Business Incubator (TBI) and Conquest, India’s first and largest student-run non-diluting Startup Accelerator (launched in 2004).
- The Dean identified a critical gap: the need for early-stage, risk-tolerant seed funding to help student ideas survive the initial "valley of death."
Our Impact:
- Establish a dedicated seed fund that provides grants to promising student-led startups.
- Invest directly in the entrepreneurial spirit at the heart of BITS, creating the next generation of innovators.
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The Community Pillars Education Fund
Think back to the mess staff, bhawan workers, and campus support teams — the unsung heroes who made our lives at BITS smoother and more comfortable. This fund supports the higher education of their children.
Facts and Figures:
- Precedent exists: our contribution will integrate with and bolster BITSAA International’s BAFCE (BITS Alumni Fund for Children’s Education).
- Targets children of permanent, low-income BITS employees (monthly salary < ₹27,000).
- Over 250 lower-income employees live on campus without adequate resources for children’s education, healthcare, and insurance.
Our Impact:
- Create an endowment for scholarships for the children of BITS employees with annual family income < ₹3.5L.
- Provide 20 annual scholarships for 20+ years — a heartfelt way to say thank you and pay it forward.
This is about more than just giving back — it’s about building our legacy.
The Millennium Legacy Catalyst allows us to:
- Create something uniquely ours, permanently linking our batch to a cause we championed together.
- Stay connected, tracking the fund’s progress and seeing lives transformed.
- Establish a strong, unified voice for our batch, earning recognition within the BITS alumni and broader community.
The Millennium Legacy Catalyst Fund Goal: INR 8 Cr
The 2000 Batch Fund objectives have been carefully chosen via an online poll which was live for more than 72 hours for the Batch to vote.
The shortlisted options put forward in the poll were the result of careful, collaborative planning, stemming from detailed discussions with the Dean of Alumni Relations, Professor Arya, who highlighted the most pressing needs of the Institute, and discussions with previous batches who have set up their own funds. These initial recommendations then went through multiple rounds of refinement, with inputs from past batches, the endowment committee, our core reunion team, and the Institute leadership.
What emerged are three high-impact focus areas — each selected for their long-term relevance, alignment with BITS’ core values, and potential for meaningful change through our batch’s collective support.
Important Note:
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- Donations should be made to the appropriate account based on the donor’s passport nationality. The passport, not the bank location, determines which account should be used.
- Indian passport holders must transfer funds to an Indian bank account, even if the transfer originates from abroad. To contribute, click on the “Indian Donors” button above.
- International passport holders must transfer funds to the FCRA account. To contribute, click on the “US Donors" button above.
- Kindly select " BITS 2000 Batch Fund", and fill in all the required fields of the payment pages
- Please send an email to
priyanka.goyal@pilani.bits-pilani.ac.in ,
ad.alumni@pilani.bits-pilani.ac.in and
alolika.mukherjee@pilani.bits-pilani.ac.in with the subject line “BITS 2000 Batch Fund” and the date and amount of your contribution, to help us track the donations.
- You will receive an acknowledgment of the transfer within a week of sending the transaction details.
Donation Matching
Please check if your employer allows matching contributions here at Gift Matching
Tax Deductions and Benefits
- Tax deductions are for the financial year when donations are made in India, US and Canada.
- 100% tax-exemption for donations to BITS, India with 80(G) benefit.
- Donation to BITSAA, a 501c(3) organization in the US is 100% tax deductible
- EIN: EIN: 22-3835037
- Address: 1030 E. El Camino Real, #256, Sunnyvale CA 94087
This is our chance to come together and define the legacy of the Batch of 2000.
For further questions, please reach out to:
(Your “The Millennium Legacy Catalyst” Endowment Fund Committee Members)
