HCL Foundation names winners of fifth edition of HCL Grant

HCL Foundation (HCLF), the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of HCL Technologies has announced the recipients of the fifth edition of HCL Grant in the presence of Padma Bhushan,Kapil Dev, a legend in the global world of cricket and former captain of the Indian Cricket team.

HCL Grant is one of the biggest and most coveted institutionalized CSR grants in India that aims to recognize the rise of the Fifth Estate - the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) - and support their breakthrough projects reaching out to the rural communities in the country.

The evening was also graced by Shiv Nadar, Founder & Chairman, HCL,  Roshni Nadar Malhotra, Vice Chairperson of HCL Technologies and the Chairperson of its CSR committee, and Prateek Aggarwal, Chief Financial Officer, HCL Technologies along with senior dignitaries, officials, NGO-partners and HCL leadership.

HCL Grant 2020 witnessed three NGOs across the categories of Education, Healthcare and Environment receiving a grant of ₹5 crores each. The remaining six finalists across the three categories also received ₹25 lakhs each, taking the overall Grant to ₹16.5 crore.

The finalists and the winners were selected by an eminent jury, which was chaired by Robin Abrams, Member of the Board, HCL Technologies.

Recipients of HCL Grant 2020.

Kapil Dev said while addressing the audience at the event, “It is extremely important to bring equal opportunities to people coming from every strata of the society. Health, Education and Environment are one of the most important pillars towards India’s development goals and I am highly impressed with the kind of impact these NGOs are bringing in the rural communities. Also, the robustness of the identification process is something I have not witnessed before. I congratulate both HCL as well the winners and finalists for the phenomenal work they are doing in their respective fields.”

“HCL Foundation is our long-term commitment for social development and today it has improved over 1.5 million lives across our country. Our collaborative model allows us to support communities with critical concerns needing immediate attention and HCL Grant is a prime example of the same. I am proud to say that today the improvements we have been able to drive together with the HCL Grant partner NGOs is not just in terms of immediate impact on beneficiary lives, but also about ensuring long-term sustainable change by influencing state and government policies.” said Roshni Nadar Malhotra, Vice-Chairperson, HCL Technologies and Chairperson, CSR Committee, HCL Technologies.    

Nidhi Pundhir, Director HCL Foundation, said “This is a very special year for us as we complete half a decade of empowering the NGOs that are committed to ushering change. This annual HCL Grant event is a culmination of our year-long efforts to identify partners who have the potential to achieve the maximum impact through their social development projects.. We are truly honored to have received applications from all parts of the country and my heartiest congratulations to the winning NGOs for giving us the opportunity to partner with them and support ideas for impactful positive change.”