Empowering CSOs through local resource mobilization

Thematic Area:

ASRH/Public Private Partnerships

Location:

India, Jharkhand

Partner:

Child in Need Institute (CINI)

Timeline:

2022 - 2024

Donor:

USAID MOMENTUM

Empowering CSOs through local resource mobilization

Aim

A 2014 Government of India law (amended in 2021) mandates that corporations devote a portion of their profits to social responsibility. As TAAC Country Hub, CINI sought to collaborate with key government entities to facilitate introductions between TAAC members and large corporations operating in Jharkhand State to help them unlock corporate social responsibility (CSR) grants to advance their community engagement, advocacy and accountability work.

Focus:

Advocacy & Accountability/Domestic Resource Mobilization/Knowledge Management

CINI achieved the following:

42 participants from 32 CSOs participated in a 2-day capacity-building workshop
Advocacy win with Government departments of industry and health to co-host a CSR conclave
First State-level CSR Conclave held in September 2022 between 21 TAAC members, government and companies, including Jindal Steel Plant Foundation, National Thermal Power Corporation, Mukesh Himmatsingka Foundation, Central Coal Field Ltd, Karam Chand Thapar & Bros, Piramal Foundation, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industries, State Level Bankers Committee (SLBC) and Procter & Gamble Health Limited.
- grassroot-level CSOs gained insights into the priority areas of CSR the corporate houses
- Corporations’ recognition of TAAC and sector-specific abilities of members to create impact at local levels
‘Compendium on Corporate Social Responsibility’ compiled and published for TAAC members, documenting 25 Corporations, their geographical presence, areas of intervention and contact details.
11 TAAC members secured over $625,000 from 6 different corporate entities in 2024.
Second CSR conclave organized with government and corporations attendees.
25 CSOs reached nearly 6,000 young people in 14 districts with Family Planning/SRH training, enhancing community engagement and healthcare services.

Implications:

The Jharkhand Collaborative involves CSOs working in remote corners of the State and with populations that are frequently left out of mainstream development initiatives. This project fostered new relationships between these organizations and corporations and secured funding for projects in health, education, nutrition, and child protection. CINI found that grassroots civil society organizations in Jharkhand required intense and ongoing capacity development before and after participating in CSR conclaves, including in understanding the law requiring CSR in the first place, how the private sector operates, how to network effectively and how to develop proposals grounded in clear problem statements of need using compelling and valid data.