The American multinational corporation, Cisco Systems, Inc. known worldwide for designing and developing networking equipment has a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program that seeks to bring about change by applying the power of human and technology networks. It has strong interests in areas of education, healthcare, economic empowerment, critical human needs, environment and governance and ethics and works in more than 150 countries.
It has Social Investment program that is implemented in partnerships with NGOs to encourage socioeconomic gains in communities around the world. The support for nonprofit organizations includes partnership with community organizations that includes donation as well as sharing of business expertise. There is also Product Grant Program where products related to internet and networking technologies are donated to community organizations for achieving significant gains in productivity, scalability and cost efficiency. Cisco also encourages employees to donate at least one day of service each year to a community organization.
The corporation has also established the Cisco Foundation which seeks to partner with NGOs around the world to address critical human needs, ensure access to education, and build economic empowerment. Again, as a technology driven company, it understands that community-based interventions have to be integrated with the power of the internet and communications technology for sustainable development.
ITs Global Impact Cash Grants provide financial support to NGOs around the world but these NGOs have to be aligned to its grantmaking criteria and policies. Under this program, cash grants are offered to NGOs for solving challenging socioeconomic conditions in at least one of the investment areas: critical human needs, access to education, and economic empowerment.
Interestingly, Cisco accepts unsolicited proposals round the year, which means organizations can submit their requests for funding anytime. However, there are various stages of submitting your funding request. Grants of up to US $75,000 can be requested.
Before submitting your proposal, make sure that you have read the eligibility criteria carefully and ensure your project is in line with Cisco’s priorities. For more information, visit this link.
