We assist NGOs and corporates in managing CSR activities effectively through end-to-end consultancy services. Our support includes CSR-1 registration, CSR project structuring, funding, documentation, donor reporting, compliance management, impact reporting, utilisation, monitoring, and partnership facilitation between corporates and NGOs.
We help organizations align CSR initiatives with statutory requirements while maximizing social impact. We work closely with corporates to identify credible implementation partners and ensure CSR funds are used properly in line with legal and regulatory requirements.
For NGOs, we provide guidance on preparing effective project proposals, maintaining proper documentation, strengthening reporting systems, and enhancing funding opportunities through structured CSR engagement.
Our objective is to build sustainable partnerships between corporates and non-profit organizations that deliver measurable impact, ensure compliance, and contribute meaningfully to social development goals.
Across the CSR cycle
From registration to impact reporting
What we handle at each stage, for both the funding company and the implementing agency.
CSR-1 Registration
Form CSR-1 is the registration filed with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) by any entity that wants to undertake CSR activities funded by companies. It was introduced by the Companies (CSR Policy) Amendment Rules, 2021 and applies to CSR projects taken up from 1 April 2021 onwards.
Why it matters
Without a CSR-1 registration an NGO cannot receive CSR funds from a company. On approval the MCA issues a CSR Registration Number, which the funding company quotes in its own CSR reporting — so corporates routinely ask for this number before releasing any funds.
Who can register
A Section 8 company, a registered public trust, or a registered society
Registered under section 332 and 354 of the Income Tax Act
With an established track record of at least three years in similar activities
An entity established by the funding company itself, or by companies acting together, may register without the three-year track record.
What is usually required
Registration certificate and PAN of the entity
332 and 354 registration certificates
Details and DIN or PAN of the trustees, directors or office bearers
A digital signature (DSC) of an authorised signatory
Certification of the form by a practising Chartered Accountant, Company Secretary or Cost Accountant
How we help
We check eligibility, get the documentation in order, arrange the digital signature, file Form CSR-1 with the MCA and certify it — so the registration number comes through without avoidable queries. We also advise on the compliance and reporting expected once CSR funds start coming in.
A good programme and a fundable CSR project are not the same thing. The project has to sit within the permitted activities, carry a defensible budget, and produce the records the funding company will be asked for.
What we handle
Alignment of the project with the activities permitted under Schedule VII of the Companies Act
Project design — objectives, beneficiaries, milestones and timelines
Budgeting, including admin overheads within the permitted limit
MoUs and agreements between the corporate and the implementing agency
Documentation architecture — deciding upfront what evidence each milestone will produce
Treatment of capital assets created out of CSR funds
How we work
We work backwards from the reporting the company will have to file. If a milestone cannot be evidenced, it gets redesigned at the proposal stage rather than becoming a problem at the utilisation stage.
Corporates struggle to identify implementation partners they can defend to their board; NGOs struggle to reach the right people inside a company. We work on both sides of that gap.
What we handle
For corporates — due diligence on prospective partners: registrations, CSR-1, track record, governance and financial health
For NGOs — getting the organisation to a state where it survives that due diligence
Structuring the engagement — scope, deliverables, fund flow and reporting cadence
Drafting and reviewing MoUs and grant agreements
Ongoing relationship and reporting management once the project is live
How we work
We do not push a partner we would not fund ourselves. Where an organisation is not yet ready for corporate funding, we say so and set out what would have to change — that is more useful than an introduction that fails at diligence.
CSR compliance sits with the company, but a gap on the implementing agency’s side becomes the company’s problem — and then yours. Both sides need the same records.
What we handle
CSR policy drafting and review
CSR Committee constitution, meeting process and minutes
The annual report annexure on CSR
Filing of Form CSR-2 with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs
Treatment of unspent CSR amounts — transfer to the Unspent CSR Account or a Schedule VII fund, as applicable
Ongoing-project classification and the compliance that follows from it
Donor reporting packs for the implementing agency
How we work
We keep one reconciliation that both the company and the implementing agency work from. Most CSR reporting disputes come from the two sides holding different numbers for the same project.
Once funds start flowing, the question changes from “is the project approved” to “can we show where the money went and what it achieved”. That evidence has to be collected as the project runs, not assembled at the end.
What we handle
Utilisation tracking against the sanctioned budget, head by head
Milestone verification before each tranche is released
Field monitoring visits and verification of delivery
Periodic progress and utilisation reports for the funder
Impact reporting at project close
Corrective action where utilisation is running behind or drifting off-scope
How we work
We flag slow utilisation early. A project that under-spends for three quarters and then rushes expenditure at year end creates exactly the pattern that draws scrutiny from both the funder and the department.
