Mahindra Group CSR aspires to improve the lives of girls and women by funding innovative programmes in education (including skill building and livelihood development) and the environment. It seeks to achieve outcomes at scale by partnering with like-minded funders and values-aligned nonprofits.

Mahindra Group believes that nonprofits are the best equipped to design programmes to meet the specific needs of the communities they serve. Hence, it takes a flexible approach to funding nonprofit partners while supporting them in becoming more effective.

Mahindra Group CSR has been synonymous with philanthropy since the establishment of the K.C. Mahindra Education Trust in 1953. Its group companies have pursued social activities in their own capacities ever since. As part of its 60th-year anniversary celebration in 2005, it announced its commitment of 1 percent of profit after tax towards CSR activities.

Mahindra Group CSR has found that multiyear partnerships and a flexible approach to funding lead to more effective nonprofit programmes. Its experience indicates that leaders at its nonprofit partners benefit from multiyear funding, as it frees them to spend more time on operations and programme delivery and less on fundraising. Mahindra Group CSR has also seen that long-term engagements build mutual trust while helping nonprofits establish credibility with other funders.

The partnership-focused approach has also allowed Mahindra Group CSR to monitor its nonprofit partners’ evolving needs and tailor its support accordingly. For instance, when Mahindra Group CSR learned that a nonprofit partner was incurring higher costs than originally proposed, it changed its funding structure for the project. It revised costs upwards to ensure that the grant provided the true cost (on a per‑participant basis) of programme delivery.

Mahindra Group CSR has seen many gains come from its approaches to covering costs and providing OD support. For example, supporting core costs, including non-programme staff salaries, has made it easier for nonprofit partners to attract and retain quality talent, which is critical to achieving Mahindra Group CSR’s as well as its nonprofit partners’ impact ambitions. Its employee volunteering and mentoring programme not only has allowed Mahindra Group CSR to support its nonprofit partners’ OD needs but also has boosted employee morale and benefitted the company’s public image. The CSR team also consults internal and external legal experts in case of any regulatory changes and facilitates workshops on regulatory changes and compliance for nonprofit partners.

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