KOCHI: HCL Foundation, the CSR arm of HCL Technologies, will partner with NGOs in Kerala to implement projects to mitigate the threat posed by non-communicable diseases, combat climate change, conserve nature, improve educational facilities, and promote skill development to improve job opportunities, Foundation Director Nidhi Pundhir told journalists here on Friday.
Nidhi, who arrived in Kochi to participate in a symposium on capacity building of NGOs at the Rajagiri College of Social Sciences, Kalamassery, said the Foundation had spent Rs 1 crore for flood relief activities in Kerala. The projects were implemented in the districts of Wayanad, Idukki and Alappuzha.
“HCL has one of the biggest CSR grants of Rs 16.5 crore, which is being used to implement innovative development projects in the fields of Education, Health and Environment. The HCL Grant is awarded to nine select NGOs of which three major winners will implement five-year projects worth Rs 5 crore in Education, Healthcare and Environment sectors. Other NGOs will get grant worth Rs 25 lakh,” she said.
Apart from helping the NGOs to implement innovative projects, the foundation creates a compendium of good non-profit organisations and introduces them to corporate houses that are looking for reliable NGOs to implement their projects, said Nidhi. “The symposiums are held to create awareness among the NGOs on achieving sustainable development goals. They will get an opportunity to interact with NGOs which won the HCL grant in the previous year. It offers a platform to share their experience and help them avail of CSR fund,” she said.
The NGOs applying for HCL grant in education and health should have ten years’ experience in implementing big projects. They should have implemented projects worth Rs 1.5 crore in the three previous financial years.
NGOs applying for grant in the environment sector should have implemented projects worth Rs 50 lakh in the past three years. The foundation has an auditing section which will ensure that the projects are implemented in a transparent manner and the NGO has accountability, said Nidhi. A board of 16 experts will check the applications and shortlist the NGOs.