Our Foundation
The Bombay Community Public Trust (BCPT) was set up in July 1991 as a Community Foundation. By then, there were models of successful Community Chests which could be emulated. Community Chests are funding intermediaries which enable people to channel their resources to solving the civic problems of a defined area – a city. There was also a realisation that governance of large metropolises required a partnership approach – where NGOs worked with government agencies and where citizens were involved in sharing the responsibility of solving their own problems.


At start up, we received good support from banks, insurance companies, companies and foundations.

Banks & Insurance Companies	Companies	Foundations
ICICI Industrial Development Bank of India State Bank of India Industrial Finance Corporation of India Ltd. Life Insurance Corporation	Housing Development Finance Corporation Ltd. Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Co. Ltd. Associated Cement Companies Ltd. Tata Group of companies Mafatlal Group of Companies Baroda Rayon Corporation Ltd. Siemens Ltd. Larsen & Toubro Ltd. Reliance Industries Ltd.	Phirojsha Godrej Foundation Phiroze Jeejabhoy Memorial Trust Sir Ratan Tata Charitable Trust Ness Wadia Foundation

Many these have continued to support the work of the Trust over the years, Along with these, many new donors, including individuals have contributed towards BCPT’s activities.

Having successfully completed decade and a half of operations, BCPT has now been recognised as a model for relevant and meaningful intermediation worth emulating by other cities. There is today a greater willingness on the part of companies to contribute funds for worthy causes, through a credible agency like BCPT that would take up the task of administering the funds in the most cost effective and efficient manner. What corporates look for is an institution that can undertake need assessment, appraise projects, identify the implementing agencies and monitor the end use of funds – areas in which BCPT has proven skills.

Our Vision
BCPT has always played the role of a facilitator, of a catalyst. The resources at our command are like a in the ocean. But our skills are in the field of building partnerships and involving other agencies. We have worked as incubators for NGOs – helping start-ups in the social sector or handholding established NGOs to undertake innovative projects.

Our mission is to enable those who are already involved to perform their specialised tasks a little better to make their working a little easier. Over the years, we found that some NGOs lacked funding, others required managerial inputs and still others needed guidance on which donors to approach for assistance. Also, there are private charities that have the money but not the human resources for appraising projects for funding nor do they have the wherewithal to monitor the end use of funds.

During the 15 years of our operations, the amount of money we have disbursed (Rs6.9crore) may seem infinitesimal for a city like Mumbai. But we have been able to assist 342 projects managed by 145 NGOs and catered for a wide range of needs. BCPT has consciously concentrated on projects or activities where the funding need has been small. And we have involved ourselves with a range of activities and institutions, learning from our experiences and sharing that experience with others.

Our Objectives
BCPT addresses the multifarious issues that confront a metropolis like Mumbai. It seeks to build the capacities of citizens’ groups to mitigate problems in the areas of education, health, environment and community living.

The charter of BCPT provides for the promotion and funding of institutions and welfare agencies involved in public works, health, family planning, encouraging sports, improving playground facilities, addressing environmental problems and keeping Mumbai clean and green. It enables voluntary agencies undertaking innovative approaches to solving problems that lie outside the area of government and corporate sector. It encourages philanthropy – corporate as well as individual. Mumbai’s public-spirited citizens have over the years set up many endowments – some of which are small and some that have limited scope. BCPT provides its managerial expertise and advisory services to such endowments and brings the benefit of aggregation to the small and diffused philanthropic efforts.

Our Focus:
Capacity Building
It was clear to us from the initial years of operations that as a community foundation we would have to play the role of an enabler rather than an implementer. We would have to concentrate our efforts on capacity building of the NGOs of Mumbai. The problems of the metropolis were so vast and numerous that solutions would have to emerge from the ground level. We also believe that the dependency syndrome of citizens needed urgent therapy. They had to be encouraged to take responsibility for solving civic issues and contribute their mite to making it a better metropolis. For this, small independent innovative efforts needed to be identified and encouraged.

Enabling, we believe is the first step to empowerment. We have sought to achieve this objective in a variety of ways. We have supported projects which have built the capacities of individuals through health, training and personality development programmes.

We have enhanced the capacity of NGOs by giving them access to funds that have enabled them to implement projects in their own specialised areas. We have enhanced the capacity of donors by identifying projects and NGOs to whom they can channel their resources. We have helped private charities and Trusts through effective advice on the management of their funds as well as managing their donations for specific activities.

Board of Trustees
Mr. BR Barwale, Chairperson - Industrialist
Ms. Panna Adhvaryu - Educationist
Mr. DM Forbes - Industrialist
Dr. JJ Irani – Corporate Executive
Mr. KG Krishnamurthy – Corporate Executive
Mr. RM Lala - Author
Mr. Hamid Moochhala - Legal Expert
Ms Subur Munjee - Anthropologist
Mr. SM Palia - Development Banker
Ms Harsha Parekh, Executive Trustee – Educationist
Ms Bakul Patel - Corporate Executive
Mr. MR Saraf - Development Banker

Panel of Advisors
Dr. Armida Fernandez- Trustee, Society for Nutrition Education & Health Action (SNEHA)
Ms. Bina Sheth Lashkari- Director, The Society for Door Step School
Ms. Shrin Choksey-Educationist
Dr.(Mrs) Ravikala Kamath -Retd. Professor of Postgraduate Studies & Research in Home Science SNDT Women's University
Mr. Ajit Nimbalkar Retd. Chief Secretary, Government of Maharashtra
Ms.Farida Lambay - Vice-Principal, College of Social Work Nirmala Niketan
Ms. Jasmine Pavri- Senior Programme Officer, Sir Dorabji Tata Trust
Mr. R. Anand-General Manager, Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited
Dr. (Ms.) Veena Deosthali- Reader, Department of Economics SNDT Womens' University.