Three NPOs win $1 million in grants from HCLTech for climate action projects across America

Select NPOs use innovative themes, including youth-led environmental activism, art and forest restoration, to raise awareness and fight climate change

NEW YORK & NOIDA, India–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#Argilando—HCLTech, a leading global technology company, today acquired Brazil-based Argilando, Canada-based No. 9 Contemporary Art and the Environment and US-based The Longleaf Alliance announced

as winners of the first edition of the HCLTech Grant Americas.

Launched in September 2023, the HCLTech Grant Americas program has committed $5 million in grants over five years to support nonprofit organizations (NPOs) with innovative projects aimed at combating climate change and restoring ecosystems and biodiversity across the Americas .

Each year, three NPOs are selected through a rigorous screening process to receive grants totaling $1 million. One NPO will receive $500,000, while two others will receive $250,000 each.

Among the winners of the first edition, Brazil-based Argilando will receive a $500,000 grant for their project Atitude Jovem. The project encourages youth-led environmental activism in Brazil’s diverse biomes. Through extensive mobilization efforts, educational workshops and strategic planting of native trees, Argilando is addressing climate challenges and raising awareness of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Canada-based No. 9 Contemporary Art and the Environment will receive $250,000 for using art and design to raise awareness of environmental issues. The “Imagining My Sustainable Community” project aims to increase awareness of sustainable design solutions in schools across Canada.

The Longleaf Alliance will receive $250,000 for their project, “Restoring America’s Great Southern Forest through Climate Action by Empowering and Enabling Landowners,” which aims to restore 8 million acres of longleaf pine forests in the southeastern US.

“Congratulations to the winners of the first HCLTech Grant Americas. Whether promoting sustainable design literacy or leading major ecosystem restoration projects, these efforts demonstrate a collective determination to tackle environmental challenges with innovative solutions. We are pleased to support these projects as part of the collective effort needed to combat climate change,” said Dr. Nidhi Pundhir, Vice President, Global CSR, HCLTech.

Since its launch, HCLTech Grant Americas has received positive responses from NPOs in America. Within 19 weeks of launch, the program received 238 registrations and 91 eligible applications from all 10 target countries: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Peru and the US. Through strict checks, the top 10 applications were selected, after which the HCLTech Grant Jury nominated the three best finalists.

HCLTech has a sharp focus on sustainability. The company aims to become net zero by 2040 and reduce scope 1 and 2 emissions by 50% by 2030. Since the base year FY20, the company has reduced scope 1 and 2 per capita emissions by 22%. It is the first IT services company headquartered in India to join the Water Resilience Coalition and endorse the CEO Water Mandate.

With a total investment of over $175 million in CSR globally to date, HCLTech has helped transform more than 6.5 million lives, bring 32,000 hectares of land under green governance, harvest 76 billion liters of water and make a positive impact have on 92,000 animals.

HCLTech has been recognized by Ethisphere as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies 2024 and has been included in the S&P Global Sustainability Yearbook 2024 for the second year in a row. Global nonprofit organization CDP has recognized HCLTech with an A leadership rating for its initiatives on the field of climate change.

For more information about HCLTech’s Climate Action Grant for the Americas, visit the following webpage: https://americas-grant.hcltech.com/

In India, HCLTech Grant, a flagship program of HCLFoundation, has touched more than 2 million lives in more than 27,000 villages through the NPOs receiving the grant.

Contacts

Meenakshi Benjwal, America

[email protected]

Elka Ghudial, EMEA

[email protected]

James Galvin, NZ

[email protected]

Siddhartha Bhatnagar, India

[email protected]

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