An Institute of Eminence
Project ID: CE100 | BITS Alumni Fund for Children's Education (BAFCE)
BAFCE aims to support the educational needs of children that have not been as fortunate as we have, but still have a close connection to us - children of BITS mess workers, chowkidars, gardeners etc. Launched on November 3, 2016, this cause has benefitted these workers and their families, creating a significant impact in the community that we hope to sustain for generations to come. The initial fund of 48 lacs has grown to 200 lacs over the past 8 years.
BAFCE is happy to share that over the last 7 years, we were able to award 640 scholarships. A breakdown of the scholarships awarded is shown below:
To date, BAFCE has disbursed ₹166 lakhs (about US $200,000), with a steady growth in disbursement benefiting new and renewal awardees.
BAFCE has received significant contributions and has been supported by several BITSians across batches, most notably from 87, 88, 89, 93 and 95 batches during their campus reunions and silver jubilee celebrations.
The Cause
BITS Pilani is home to over 250 lower income employees, who live with their families in Pilani and the nearby areas. These employees do not always have adequate resources for their children’s education, healthcare, and insurance. These are just a few of their basic needs.
Prior to the inception of BAFCE, we considered health insurance, health care improvements, and education aid among others as possible options to support. But after some research, which included talking to the workers and their families in Pilani, we zeroed in on what is the pressing need and where we can help. We finalized children’s education as an area where we could help - specifically post-high school education. Based on current information regarding the children of campus workers, the average tuition for college students is Rs. 34,000 (US $500) per year. These workers do not get any assistance from the institution or their employer.
Why this choice? Primarily because there is a shortfall in financial support for these workers and because education is something that will help their children in aspiring for better lives than their previous generations. In addition, feedback from the workers themselves expressed a strong desire for help in the future generations rather than themselves.
Inception
In collaboration with BITSAA (because it is a registered NGO/charity in India and a 501(C)(3) entity in the US), we have set up an endowment fund called “BITS Alumni Fund for Children's Education (BAFCE)”. The fund will disburse aid to needy college students, children of BITS campus workers based on a set of objective criteria and an impartial mechanism.
Even though the capital campaign was initiated through the 87 batch, the goal was to set up this fund as a “seed” for all batches to fund and support as well.
The Administration
A Board of Directors (the Board) was formed to administer this cause. The first solicitation of applications and disbursement of funds began in the summer of 2017 for the first semester of that academic year. Undisbursed funds were invested through BITSAA’s investment committee.
The Beneficiaries
Eligibility was based primarily on the following two criteria.
- Children and wards of low-income BITS campus workers with a salary of Rs. 27,000 (US $350) per month and lower, or as defined by the Board based on contemporary information.
- Students needed to show academic progression (“pass” in each subject) each year they applied for consideration.
The Application and Disbursement Process
- Each year, there is a solicitation process undertaken by the Board to identify eligible students based on the above criteria. Based on this, the Board awards need-based and academically-qualified scholarships to eligible applicants.
- Financial assistance provided from BAFCE takes into consideration any other subsidies provided by BITS or on-campus associations. Eligible employees may avail for the BAFCE financial assistance only if the total fees collected by their children’s educational institutes exceeds the subsidies already provided.
- 90% (or less, based on funds availability and/or guidelines set by the Board) of the fees/tuition of each student is funded by BAFCE. In addition, the maximum annual financial assistance provided from BAFCE is Rs. 45,000 (US $550) per eligible employee’s child.
- The fees/tuition being disbursed by BAFCE are either paid directly to the children's educational institutes or as reimbursement of tuition/fees to the student/family based on valid receipt and passing the eligibility criteria.
- The board utilizes a list of eligible accredited colleges that are approved for consideration. While this is not an exhaustive list, an applicant will not be rejected if not from this list. The Board may consider colleges not from the eligible list based on further research.
How Can You Help?
Since its inception, BAFCE has been collecting donations and the response has been overwhelming - thank you! Many of you have openly expressed a strong desire to give back and indicated that you would like to support the cause. So we call on each of you to come forward in a generous manner and contribute to this. We look forward to your contributions and input/suggestions - you can contact any of us at any time.
With regards,
BAFCE Board
Rajesh Aerat rajeshaerat@gmail.com
Rajiv Kapur kapur@stanfordalumni.org
Anu Mirle armirle@gmail.com
Yashvardhan Sharma yash@pilani.bits-pilani.ac.in
Gaelen Pereira gaelenpereira@gmail.com
Viswadharini Kumar viswapraneet@gmail.com
Subramanian Srinivasan subbu309@gmail.com
Alpana Chatterji alpanarc@gmail.com
Srisu Subrahmanyam srisu2@gmail.com
Arun Kanchi kanchi.arun@gmail.com
