Arogyaswami (Paul) Paulraj and his wife Nimi grew up in Catholic families in India where Christians make up about 3% of the population, and Catholics are a smaller percentage still. While most of their friends and some family members did not share their faith, Nimi and Paul grew up learning Christian values from their parents. Paul’s sister is a nun in the Salesian Order. The inspiration for the Paulraj Family Fund for the Catholic Community at Stanford came from a combination of their faith values and a desire to leave a legacy supporting social justice.
At age 15, Paul followed in his father’s footsteps and joined the Indian Navy. Throughout his 25-year naval career, Paul made many contributions including developing military sonar systems. Given an opportunity to teach at Stanford, he and his family moved in 1991. Most notable of Paul’s many achievements during his 22 years at Stanford is the invention of a breakthrough wireless technology known as MIMO.
Soon after arriving, Nimi and Paul became part of the Catholic Community at Stanford. They remain grateful for the dedicated service of the parish staff, and, in particular, the Dominican Fathers and Sisters who have dedicated themselves to this community. The Paulrajs have been active supporters of the parish for many years, and last year they decided to make a larger gift focused on social justice.
Social justice has always been important for the Paulrajs and integral to their faith. The glaring disparity between the wealthy and the poor is the focus for their philanthropy. The goal of the Paulraj Family Fund is to support the parish’s student programs on topics of inequity and social justice.
“I believe that the solution to this inequity lies in building awareness in our young people,” says Paul. “Our way of contributing to this effort is to help the next generation of leaders to better understand the many dimensions of this problem.”
Setting Up a Custom Fund
The Paulrajs had a clear vision for how their fund will disburse grants. “We felt that the annual grant from a permanent endowment would not pay out quickly enough,” says Paul. Through conversation with the parish and the Catholic Community Foundation, the Paulrajs created a 30-year term fund. The first grant will be issued in 2023. The fund will continue the legacy of Paul and Nimi at Stanford – a legacy of education, compassion, and faith – for decades to come.
If you are interested in learning more about custom Family Funds, visit this page or contact the Foundation.