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Wipro Capacity Building Program

 A program designed to strengthen educational and organizational capacities of CSOs to enhance their contributions toward school-education reform.

At Wipro Foundation we believe that a vibrant and diverse civil society is critical for a more just, equitable, humane and sustainable future. Wipro has been working for more than 20 years on strengthening school education in India, in close collaboration with a diverse range of Education Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) across the country. Through our experience of working closely with more than 250 CSOs of varying maturities, we realize the need for capacity building on a range of topics spanning organizational, educational and operational themes.

We are inviting Expressions of Interest (EoI) for the Wipro Capacity Building Program which provides an opportunity for individuals and grassroot organizations working with the public education system, to enhance their capacity to bring quality education to underserved children. Whether you are a newly founded organization, past Wipro Foundation partner, or an established organization looking to start work in a new educational domain, join us on this journey of learning and growth, to bring systemic change in education in India.

Rationale

We have had the experience of working and interacting with more than 250 CSOs over close to 20 years. Through this process, we have realized that the need for such capacity building opportunities exists across organizations, which are of varying maturities. We would like to extend our support in building their capacities across organizational and educational aspects, so that they can better serve their communities. Hence, we plan to launch a focused Capacity Building Partnership Program.

Through this program, we would like to partner with individuals and grassroot organizations working with the public education system to bring quality education to underprivileged students across the country. We plan to extend our capacity building offerings to them to capacitate their teams to deepen their engagement. Organizations considered for this program could range from newly founded organizations to past partners of Wipro Foundation and to established organizations looking to start work in a new educational domain.

Applications are now closed for this grant. To receive an update when the grant opens, please

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Selection Criteria

Organizations interested in participating in this program should satisfy the criteria below:

For early-stage organizations:
Have a committed team or a set of individuals working as a team who have been working on the ground on an educational issue for at least 6 months

  • Be willing to work with the public education system to work toward systemic reform in education
  • Long-term commitment to working in the specified domain and geography (a minimum of three years)
  • Presence in underserved geographies would be preferred
For established organizations: Have a committed team with some experience in the education field, but looking to further their understanding and capacities in the domain
  • Be willing to work with the public education system to work toward systemic reform in education
  • Presence in underserved geographies would be preferred
  • Established organizations should have at least one of the following: strong community presence, strong domain knowledge, and contextual issues, and experience of working with the public education system

Diverse Offerings

Partner organizations can access one or more of the following capacity building offerings, according to their interests and needs.

  • Workshops: Facilitated by resource organizations with deep expertise in specific areas (please refer the brochure linked below for more), our workshops typically offer opportunities to participants from 10-12 CSOs at a time for structured learning. These are also avenues to network and collaborate with other organizations working on similar issues.
  • Mentoring: Get intensive and contextual support in domain-specific areas, as well as on organizational and operational aspects, through mentoring and field-visits by senior resource organizations.
  • Networking: Participate and engage with Wipro Foundation’s education-focused events and publications such as the Annual Partners’ Forum, and the journal ‘Samuhik Pahal,’ which reaches out to 250+ education CSOs. These spaces provide opportunities to learn from featured practitioners and experts, and will help deepen your understanding on new developments in your domain.
  • Communities of Practice (CoPs): Be a part of self-sustaining, self-directed groups of individuals and organizations interested in extending educational and organizational best-practices.
  • Exposure Visits: Join us on field visits to organizations working in similar domains and learn various processes and approaches through first-hand experience.
  • Resources: Get access to reputed periodicals and magazines like iWonder, Teacher Plus, Pluto, Cycle, Chakmak, etc., which carry articles, resources and stories from classrooms, and share diverse perspectives on important themes in education.
  • Touchpoints with the Wipro Team: Interact periodically with the Wipro Foundation team, which will act as a sounding board as you work to strengthen your organization further.

Please note:

  • There will be no funding available for on-field interventions under this program.
  • Support will cover a substantial part of all the capacity building offerings.
  • Partners selected under this program will be notified when grants become available under our other programs (Systemic Reform, Education Fellowship, Education for CwD or Access to Education) and may be prioritized over other/new applicants.

Expectations from Partner Organizations

Like with other partner organizations in the Wipro Foundation partner network, organizations onboarded under the capacity building partnership will also be expected to engage in regular touchpoints with the WF education team. The purpose of these touchpoints is to understand the capacities in the organization and the work done better. This will help the WF education team to effectively support the capacity building needs.

  • Quarterly Touchpoints: Every quarter, a call/meeting will be scheduled on a virtual platform for representatives from the partner organizations and the respective WF regional team. The agenda will be to discuss updates around capacity building and its impact in the educational quarter.
  • Quarterly/Half-yearly/Annual Reports: Periodic reports and documentation highlighting capacity building engagements and their impact on processes and perspectives will be requested from partner organizations.
  • Visit by Wipro Foundation Team: Representatives from Wipro Foundation’s Education Team will visit the partner organization once a year. This visit is intended to allow for interactions with the organization’s staff and stakeholders, and conversations around organizational, operational and educational matters.