Objectives: CISCO is an American multinational corporation that designs, produces, and sells networking equipment. CISCO draws on its expertise in building networks, partnerships, and a successful business to multiply social impact around the world. The company has successfully financed the implementation of projects in more than 150 countries worldwide via the Cash Grant programme.
Areas of Funding: CISCO supports projects in the fields of Governance and Ethics, Supply Chain, Environment, and Society. The Cash Grant supports non-profit and non-governmental organisations working in these areas. Priority is given to projects targeting marginalised communities to improve efficiency and impact the life of the underserved.
Geographic Focus: There is no geographical restriction.
Programs or Prizes: CISCO awards grants to organisations according to 2 main programmes.
The Global Impact Cash Grant is given to projects exploring innovative solutions tackling socio-economic conditions in at least one of the investment areas of Critical Human Needs, Access to Education, and Economic Empowerment. Projects developed in the area of Critical Human Needs must propose sustainable ideas on how to break cycles of poverty and dependence through strategic investment. Projects addressing the Access to Education area must include activities for children aged 5 to 19 to master a baseline of educational knowledge in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. Projects targeting the area of Economic Empowerment must suggest activities targeting the underserved population with the intent of providing access to skills, knowledge and financial products to facilitate their participation in the socio-economic development of their community and self-sufficiency.
The Community Impact Cash Grant is given to projects providing a framework for leveraging CISCO’s contributions and volunteer resources to meet the needs of the local community. As such, these grants are available only to organisations working within a 50 mile radius from CISCO’s major sites (Bangalore, India; Boxborough, Massachusetts; Lawrenceville, Georgia; Research Triangle Park, North Carolina; Richardson, Texas; San Jose, California; Shanghai/Beijing, China; Toronto, Canada). Projects must implement activities in the investment areas of Access to Education or Critical Human Needs. Educational projects must design initiatives to improve literacy and science or increase graduates in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Projects developed in the field of Critical Human Needs must provide food, shelter, access to healthcare or they must be written as a direct response to a disaster.
Overall, successful projects must possess the following qualities: they must address a significant social problem with unmet need, they must serve the underserved, they must make use of the Internet (or Internet-based communication technology) to improve the efficiency of the proposed activities, they must show innovative and creative ways of thinking, they must incorporate a clear methodology to assess and measure the results, they must present potential for replication and they must be sustainable.
How to Apply Information: These grants are for public charities, NGOs, and non-profit organisations only (proof of the organisation’s legal status is required). For first time applicant, the maximum request amount is $75,000. CISCO accepts applications all year long. Applications must be submitted online via the online grant application tool. In order to access the application page, you have to pass the Eligibility Quiz to determine whether your organisation complies with CISCO’s mission and strategic approach. The test can be found here.
Following the Eligibility Quiz, you will be prompted to submit the Initial Information Form with basic information about your organisation, the proposed project, and the budget needed. Only selected applicants will be contacted and asked to submit a full project proposal.
