"Fundraising was always going to be a big challenge and that was before the pandemic hit the world. It got more difficult by a huge magnitude since March 2020. However some of our staunchest supporters stepped up to the plate,” revealed Arzan Wadia, 
president of the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America (FEZANA). He was referring to the herculean efforts involved in raising USD 1.1 million (Rs 8.1 crore) to establish the first ever FEZANA Professorship of Zoroastrian Languages and Literature at the University of Toronto (see "Toronto professorship,” Zoroastrians Abroad, Parsiana, July 7-20, 2021).
To understand the quantum of contributions that came from FEZANA members and the support extended by community members overseas, Parsiana requested Wadia to share a profile of the major donations that accounted for 61% of all sums received. Nearly 73% of the principal donors were from the USA and Canada, 19% from Hong Kong, and seven percent from the UK.
"To set up the right intent and example, the very first donation” towards establishing the FEZANA Professorship had come from FEZANA’s immediate past president Homi Gandhi and his family, acknowledged Wadia. Gandhi initiated and led the exercise with his donation of USD 50,000 (Rs 37 lakh). Behram Baxter also agreed immediately and contributed USD 100,000 (Rs 74.4 lakh). "With these two large donations we jumpstarted the process,” reported Wadia.
The largest donor for this project was Dariush Irani and his family from Los Angeles who contributed USD 150,000 (Rs 1.1 crore) in memory of his late wife Bapsy Irani. From Canada, the benevolent donors were Dinshaw and Bakhtavar Mehta, CAD 75,000 (Rs 44.4 lakh), Sam Vesuna who gave CAD 50,000 (Rs 29.6 lakh) and Ervad (Dr) Jehan Bagli, CAD 40,000 (Rs 23.7 lakh).
They also got two major donations from the estates of Prof Kaikhosrov Irani and Mobed Mehraban Zartoshty. In memory of Prof Irani, FEZANA, Zoroastrian Association of Greater New York and Zarathushtrian Assembly donated USD 60,000 (Rs 44.6 lakh). In memory of Zartoshty, the Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe under the advice of Homa Zartoshty, president Malcolm Deboo and past president Dorab Mistry donated USD 50,000. From Hong Kong, Jal and Pervin Shroff contributed USD 100,000 and the Zoroastrian Charity Funds of Hongkong, Canton and Macao USD 30,000 (Rs 22.3 lakh).