Who can apply

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Who Can Apply?

The Grant is applicable for NGOs working in the field of Education, Health and Environment with experience of implementing projects in rural India. We encourage organisations from all over India to apply with innovative, replicable and sustainable models, which can make significant contribution towards rural development.

How to Apply

Applicants fulfilling defined eligibility criteria are required to fill the online application form which includes Organisational Profile and Project Abstract along with some mandatory documents.

Registration

Register your organisation by filling in the following details – your name, your organisation’s name, a unique username, a valid email address, address including state and city, valid mobile number, relevant thematic areas in which your organisation is working and a password on HCL Grant website. To register, click here.

Organisation Profile

Fill the Organisational Profile, review, save and submit. The Organisational Profile cannot be edited after submission. Please make sure to save your page every time before you leave the website.

Project Abstract

Fill the Project Abstract, review and save.(Refer to instructions on the top of the page).

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Steps

Documents

Under the ‘Documents’ tab, download Declaration Form by clicking on ‘Format Attached’, fill it by hand and upload it.

Mandatory Documents

Mandatory Documents to be uploaded to complete the application

Registration certificate
Audited financials of last 3 years (FY 16-17, 17-18 and 18-19)
12AA certificate
80G certificate
PAN Card
Declaration form

Review

Review and submit the form.

Acknowledgement

You will receive an e-mail acknowledging the submission of your application on the registered e-mail ID.

Pre Requisites

APPLICANT ORGANISATION

The organisation must have adequate experience of working in rural areas in India.

The bye-laws of the organisation must allow it to undertake a project in the proposed thematic category.

The organisation must have a good rapport with local administration in the proposed project’s location.

The organisation, including its governing body members, must not have any pending litigations

The organisation must not be blacklisted by any government agency/department/ministry, donor, or international agency.

The organisation, including governing board members, must not have any negative media coverage, or any other controversy associated with it.

The organisation must not have any political or religious affiliations.

The organisation (if announced as winner or runners-up) must open a separate and new bank account for HCL Grant Funds.

PROPOSED PROJECT

The proposed project must be in line with the provisions of Schedule VII of Section 135 of The Companies Act, 2013 and the CSR Rules 2014, and its amendments / clarifications.

The proposed project must be in rural area/s.

The proposed project must be designed for direct implementation by the applicant organisation. Sub-granting of HCL funds is not allowed.

The proposed project (in each category) must be designed for a grant amount of ₹ 5 Crores for a period of 3 to 5 years.

The grant amount must not be used solely for infrastructure development such as construction, renovation, purchase of fixed assets like land, buildings, and vehicles, among others. Further, proposed infrastructure development costs must be spent in line with project objectives and activities defined.

The Grant can be used to scale-up an existing project or for a new project where co-funding is involved. However, HCL must be apprised of all funders and stakeholders in advance. Additionally, the organisation must be able to report the utilization, outreach and impact achieved specifically through the HCL Grant amount.

Eligibility Criteria

Not for profit entity

The organisation must be a registered not for profit entity in India i.e. either a Society or a Trust or a Section 8 (previously Section 25) company or any other organisation (if allowed to receive CSR funding by a relevant government body in line with Section 135 of The Companies Act, 2013).

Functional Existance

The organisation must have registered u/s 80G of The Income-tax, 1961.

Average Expenditure

The organisation must have the below mentioned average expenditure (as per income & expenditure account) for the last three financial years viz. 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19:

If applying under Education and Health category – minimum ₹ 1 Crores or above
If applying under Environment category – minimum ₹ 0.50 Crores or above

Register With Income Tax

The organisation must have registered u/s 12AA of The Income-tax, 1961.

Working experience in rural areas

The organisation must have the below-mentioned functional existence (as per their registration certificate) in India on or before 31st March 2020:

If applying under Education and Health category – minimum 10 years or above
If applying under Environment category – minimum 5 years or above

Not blacklisted by government

The organisation must be in full compliance with applicable regulatory rules and must have valid documents for registration, audited financial reports, etc. The organisation must have valid and timely submissions (wherever applicable) for - income tax, employee provident fund, professional tax, minimum wages, employee state insurance, goods and service tax, and FCRA and/or other relevant regulation depending on the nature of funding/donations it receives.

If at any point in time, during the entire evaluation process, any organisation is noted to have furnished false or wrong information, the organisation will get disqualified from HCL Grant.