$15 million donation to theater foundation from dancer, storyteller, and arts advocate Rajika Puri

The Joyce Theater Foundation has announced one of the most significant gifts in its history — a $15 million donation from dancer, storyteller, and arts advocate Rajika Puri and her late husband, Anupam “Tino” Puri.

The endowment arrives at a critical moment for performing arts institutions across the country, many of which are still recovering from years of financial strain.

For Joyce, the gift represents not just financial security but a powerful affirmation of its mission — to champion dance in all its forms, from emerging local choreographers to world-renowned international companies. Executive Director Linda Shelton called the gift “transformative,” adding that it will allow the theater “to offer more to artists and audiences for generations to come.”

Rajika Puri, whose own career bridges Indian classical dance and contemporary storytelling, has long been a passionate advocate for preserving and expanding the vocabulary of movement.

Her husband, Anupam “Tino” Puri, a Senior Partner Emeritus at McKinsey & Company, passed away in July 2025. The couple had finalized their decision to make the donation shortly before his death. Their shared love of performance and culture — and their belief in the power of the arts to connect people — became the guiding spirit behind the gift.

The funds will help build the Joyce’s endowment, ensuring that the organization can sustain its artist residencies, educational outreach, and diverse programming well into the future. At a time when many cultural institutions are grappling with uncertainty, the Puris’ act of generosity feels both stabilizing and visionary.

As part of the announcement, the theater confirmed that its main auditorium will be renamed the Tino & Rajika Puri Auditorium, a tribute to their lifelong partnership and shared devotion to the arts. For New York’s dance community — and for audiences who have come to see the Joyce as a second home — the Puris’ gift stands as a beacon of confidence in what dance can still mean in the modern world: a place of beauty, connection, and continuity.