About
To catalyse, sustain and scale social transformation in communities through need-based, responsive and impactful programmes across thematic pillars including culture, heritage and environment.
CSR foundation of HCL Technologies with significant community development programmes. Cultural activities include folk and tribal art support, heritage conservation, and rural craft documentation through community programmes.
HCL Foundation was established in 2011 as HCL Technologies formalised its CSR activities under the Companies Act framework. The Foundation operates primarily in communities around HCL's major operational centres, including Noida (headquarters), Chennai, Lucknow, Vijayawada, Madurai and Nagpur. Its cultural programmes have included direct support for folk and tribal art communities, heritage conservation work, and the documentation of rural craft traditions. The My E-Haat programme supports artisan communities including weavers and craft makers through digital marketplace connections. The Foundation's annual report consistently includes culture and heritage as a distinct thematic area alongside education, health and environment.
Founding & Leadership
HCL Foundation was established in 2011 as the CSR arm of HCL Technologies Limited (HCLTech), which was co-founded by Shiv Nadar in 1976. Nadar, born in 1945 in Tamil Nadu, founded HCL with Rs 1,87,000 and a small group of colleagues, building it into a $14.7 billion global technology enterprise with over 227,000 professionals in 60 countries. He is credited as a pioneer of India's computing and IT industry. Nadar stepped down as Chairman of HCLTech in 2021, handing over the chairmanship to his daughter Roshni Nadar Malhotra. While Nadar's broader philanthropic ambitions are channelled through the separate Shiv Nadar Foundation (which funds KNMA, SSN College, and Shiv Nadar University), HCL Foundation was set up to execute HCLTech's statutory 2% CSR mandate, focusing on livelihoods, education, health, and environment rather than arts or heritage.
HCLTech CSR Board Committee (chaired by Roshni Nadar Malhotra); Executive leadership under Director Dr Nidhi Pundhir
Leadership & Trustees
Initiatives & Portfolio
Digital marketplace programme connecting artisan communities including weavers, craft makers and folk artists to markets. Supports livelihood alongside cultural preservation.
Support for heritage site restoration and conservation in communities where HCL operates.
Community programmes supporting tribal and folk art practitioners in HCL's operational regions.
A separate HCL entity supporting classical and contemporary music concerts and cultural events. See the HCL Concerts institution profile for detail.
Cultural Funding
Cultural verticals
Impact & Metrics
Partnerships & Network
Government partners
Funders & patrons
Credentials & Compliance
CSR-eligible · Schedule VII(v) (crafts/livelihood touch-point only)
HCLTech CSR expenditure publicly disclosed in Annual Report under Section 135 of Companies Act. HCLTech Grant is an open-call competitive programme, unusual among peer CSR funders. No FCRA registration confirmed (operates domestically).
Statutory CSR of HCLTech.
Recognition
One of India's largest corporate CSR bodies (₹1,680 cr cumulative); the open-call HCLTech Grant is a benchmark for transparent corporate grant-making.
HCL Foundation represents the significant cultural funding potential of India's technology sector CSR. Its folk art and craft community support programmes address communities that are underserved by the formal cultural sector, and its artisan marketplace initiative creates economic sustainability alongside cultural preservation.
HCL Foundation should be distinguished from HCL Concerts (a separate HCL entity focused on music programming) and from the Shiv Nadar Foundation (focused on education, founded by HCL's founder). Organisations approaching HCL for cultural funding should clarify which entity they are approaching. The Foundation's community development focus means that cultural proposals with a livelihood or rural artisan component are better positioned than purely presentational arts proposals.