HCL Foundation Organizes Symposium for Ninth Edition of HCLTech Grant in Mumbai
HCL Foundation (HCLF), which delivers the corporate social responsibility (CSR) agenda of HCLTech, today organized a symposium as part of its concerted efforts in sensitizing and creating awareness among NGOs, civil society organizations, and start-ups working in the social impact space about HCLTech Grant Edition IX in Mumbai. Aligned with India’s G20 presidency this year, the symposium’s topic focused on promoting sustainable and inclusive economic growth in India through G20 cooperation and CSR efforts.
The symposium was the third in a series of pan India symposiums being organized by HCL Foundation across various cities. Several NGOs and civil society organizations from Maharashtra and neighboring states participated and actively engaged in discussion and dialogue on range of issues and themes relating to role of CSR in contributing towards nation-building.
The event featured an insightful panel discussion with eminent speakers that included, Milind Arolkar, Chief Executive Officer, Sarjana Media solutions Pvt. Ltd.; Hemant Gupta, Head, BSE Social Stock Exchange; Simit Bhagat, Founder, Creative Studio for Non-Profits; Siji Varghese, CEO, Leaders in Lipstick; Prof. Chandrika Parmar, Associate Professor at S P Jain Institute of Management & Research (SPJIMR, Mumbai) and Director at Development of Corporate Citizenship (DoCC). The symposium also included a Masterclass on CSR laws and its amendments by Nikhil Pant, CSR Advisor and former Chief Programme Executive, National Foundation for CSR, Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Govt. of India and Bhomik Shah, Founder and CEO of CSRBOX. Mr. Sundar Mahalingam, President of Strategy, HCL Corporation and Shiv Nadar Foundation and Ms. Ruchi Sadhana, Vice President, HCLTech were also present at the event.
As part of the series of symposiums this year, symposiums have been held in Bengaluru and Thiruvananthapuram. Further, symposiums will be organized in Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Guwahati, Raipur, and New Delhi during this month.
Through these symposiums, HCL Foundation aims to educate NGOs about the HCLTech Grant, one of India’s most coveted institutionalized grants. The Grant identifies NGOs that are undertaking groundbreaking work in rural development through an independent, robust, and democratic process. Grants are given to the three winners in the categories of education, health, and environment with a commitment of ₹5 crore for a four-year project in each category. Additionally, a grant of ₹25 lakh each is given to the other two finalists in each category for a one-year project. The total funding committed for the ninth edition is ₹16.5 crores.
Three NGOs—Planatearth, Innovators in Health (IIH) India, and Meghshala Trust – were winners in the Environment, Health, and Education category of the HCLTech Grant 2022 and received ₹5 crore (appx. $620,000) each for their projects.
Till date, HCL Foundation has committed more than ₹130 crores (appx. $16 million) to NGOs since the launch of the HCLTech Grant programme eight years ago, reaching over 1.8 million beneficiaries in more than 25,000 villages in remote districts across 22 states and two union territories of India. Successful partnerships have been forged with 49 NGOs, of which 21 NGOs have been awarded grants of ₹5 crore each, and 28 NGOs have received ₹ 25 lakh each for their respective projects.
HCLTech Grant has seen a significant increase in registrations. Since 2016, over 49,450 registrations and more than 8,630 applications were received under HCLTech Grant. The HCLTech Grant not only recognizes the work of NGOs contributing to the nation’s growth and development but also engages with them to achieve the desired impact and objectives.
About HCL Foundation: HCL Foundation delivers the corporate social responsibility agenda of HCLTech through its flagship programmes and special initiatives. We concentrate on improving education, skill development, livelihoods, healthcare, and the environment. Our HCL Samuday and HCLTech Grant focus on rural development; HCL Uday and Clean Noida focus on urban development; and HCL Harit focus on environmental action. Our Power of One initiative helps our people give back to society, Sports for Change transforms outcomes for young people, My E-Haat supports skill development and livelihoods and our HCL Foundation Academy is a shared learning platform.
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