Technology allows social impact organizations to improve the efficiency of their operations and enhance the overall impact on beneficiaries and the sector at large. Unfortunately, integrating technology solutions in programs requires software expertise, time, and money, all of which are often in short supply in growth-stage non-profit and social impact organizations. Hence, Project Tech4Dev, an initiative of the Chintu Gudiya Foundation, works with Indian NGOs to enhance the implementation of their programs through strong data collection, analysis, and visualizations tools.
The Project Tech4Dev team consists of software solutions providers (Web Access, Samanvay Foundation, Soft Corner) and a tech entrepreneur and philanthropist (Donald Lobo), who have a combined experience of 50+ years in implementing technology solutions in both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations.
Objectives
The focus of this initiative is to use software tools to improve the programmatic operations of organizations, thereby nurturing and fostering a vibrant and thriving software ecosystem in India’s non-profit and social impact organizations. Our objective is also to strengthen the long-term software capability of the NGO and their software vendor; we do not aim to replace your software vendor but to make them more aware and familiar with tools that are already available for the non-profit ecosystem. We work with the NGO and the partner for a period of 6 months, creating and implementing the project, after which the NGO and the software partner are responsible for maintaining and enhancing the project.
Please visit our Projects page for examples of our most recent work. Most of the work was done pro-bono; some was done on a consulting basis.
Please note that all work done under this grant will be open source and made available for free to other organizations around the world.
Updates on the projects with the NGO are being shared on our blog: Tech4Dev Project Updates
The results of this initiative is now on our blog: Tech4Dev Application Results
The second update on this initiative is now on our blog: Tech4Dev Application Update 2
The first update on this initiative is now on our blog: Tech4Dev Application Update
Selection Process
Project Tech4Dev aims to select up to 4 non-profit and/or social impact organizations to work with, over a 4-6 month period starting November 2018. Please read the information provided to understand what the technology grant will entail, the eligibility criteria, how we will evaluate applications, and important dates before you fill in the Application Form below.
Grant Details
- This is a non-monetary grant; however, the team of 2-3 software experts working with your organization over a period of 4-6 months would usually cost between INR 15 – 20L (USD 25,000)
- An analysis and documentation of your current and planned technical systems
- Software design, consulting, and implementation services for your specific project
- Consulting and bug fixing support after the project is deployed
Eligibility Criteria
Please apply if you meet the following criteria:
- Your organization is a growth-stage not-for-profit or a social business, with an annual budget of less than INR 10 Cr
- You have a specific and clear project description
- You require technical support in the implementation of your organization’s programs
Please do not apply if you meet any of the following criteria:
- Your annual budget is more than INR 10 CR
- You do not have a specific and clear project description
- The project involves your organization’s back-office systems like website development, financial or HR systems, donor management and/ or ERP
Evaluation Criteria
Some of the factors that we will use to shortlist projects are:
- The number of beneficiaries
- The importance of the project to your organization and its impact
- The absence of a similar software solution
- The number of other non-profits that could benefit from a similar solution
- Your willingness to share this work with other organizations around the world
Important Dates
- October 21, 2018: Application submission deadline
- October 22 – November 11, 2018: Shortlisting and interviews
- November 12, 2018: Selections are announced and project work starts
For any queries that are not answered in the information above, please reach out to tech4dev@chintugudiya.org