Request for Proposals: SBIF Asha Scholarship (India)

Deadline: 3-Oct-23

The SBI Foundation invites non-profit organisations registered in India with a proven track record to implement and manage large-scale scholarship programmes.

As a strategic initiative for ‘Ensuring Access to Premier Education’, SBI Foundation launched the SBIF Asha Scholarship in 2022, with the aim to support meritorious students from disadvantaged backgrounds to continue their school and college education. The SBIF Asha Scholarship aims to recognise and reward the brightest young minds of the country, whose socio-economic conditions may otherwise prevent them from continuing their education. So far, more than 3150 students have received financial support under the SBIF Asha Scholarship.

Funding Information

Funding will be provided under the SBIF Asha Scholarship. The budget for a proposal should not be more than Rs. 35.00 Crore for a support period ranging from 1 to 2 years.

Scope of Work

• Thematic area: Education
• Preferred project locations: PAN India
• Framework for SBIF Asha scholarship:
  • The Agency must include the provision of the following services for the implementation of SBIF Asha Scholarship:
    • Existing and operational in-house, end-to-end Scholarship Management System.
    • Outreach and mobilisation to spread awareness about the Scholarship.
    • Promotion of the SBIF Asha Scholarship through print and digital media including social media, print advertisements, emails, newsletters, articles etc.
    • Development of online application form and customisation of application management dashboard (live in real-time, with admin access to SBI Foundation).
    • Application support and redressal of queries by applicants to facilitate application submission.
    • Scrutiny of applications received, facilitating document submission and document verification.
    • Conduction of recorded interviews, shortlisting and selection as per the SBIF Asha Scholarship model.
    • Scholar onboarding, document and bank account verification.
    • Fund disbursement, monitoring and feedback from scholars.
    • The agency may also explore the possibility of direct fund transfer to the beneficiary accounts from SBI Foundation.
    • The proposal must include a provision for a Baseline and Endline study from an independent agency.
  • Eligibility Criteria for the SBIF Asha Scholarship:
    • The Agency must follow these criteria for selection of scholars:
      • Applicants should be Indian nationals only.
      • Open for students from Class 8 to 12; students pursuing Undergraduate courses and Postgraduate courses from premier institutions in India (Top 100 as per NIRF Ranking 2023); students enrolled in UG/PG courses in IITs and IIMs; and students pursuing Master’s programs from premier institutions abroad (Top 50 as per world rankings in 2023).
      • Students who have secured 75% marks and above in their previous academic year.
      • Students with a gross annual family income of up to Rs. 3,00,000/- per annum (for school applications).
      • Students with a gross annual family income of up to Rs. 6,00,000/- per annum (for college applications). (Note: Students with a family income of up to Rs. 3,00,000/- per annum will be given preference.)
      • Overall, 50% of the slots will be reserved for females in each category. (Overall, 50% female and 50% male beneficiaries)
  • Benefits for Selected Scholars:
    • Up to INR 15,000 for students from Classes 8th to 12th
    • Up to INR 50,000 for Undergraduate students
    • Up to INR 70,000 for Postgraduate students
    • Up to INR 3,50,000 for students pursuing undergraduate courses from IITs
    • Up to INR 5,00,000 for students pursuing MBA from IIMs
    • Up to INR 20,00,000 or 50% of the course-related expenses, whichever is less, to students pursuing higher education from premier institutions abroad.
  • Number of beneficiaries
    • 8000 students from Classes 8th to 12th
    • 500 students pursuing Undergraduate courses
    • 200 students pursuing Postgraduate courses
    • 50 students pursuing Undergraduate courses from IITs
    • 40 students pursuing MBA courses from IIMs
    • 50 students pursuing Master’s and above courses from premier institutions abroad

Eligibility Criteria

• The Agency will be expected to have its own scholarship management application/dashboard with expertise in end to end management of scholarships.
• The organisation will be expected to have a minimum experience of 3 years in executing scholarship management projects with the following broad scope:
  • Launch of Scholarship application through a technology platform
  • Outreach and mobilisation of scholars
  • Application support and redressal of queries by applicants to facilitate application submission.
  • Scrutiny of applications received, facilitating document submission and document verification.
  • Conduction of recorded interviews, shortlisting and selection as per the SBIF Asha Scholarship model.
  • Scholar onboarding, document and bank account verification.
  • Fund disbursement, monitoring and feedback from scholars
  • Donor reporting

Language of Proposal

• Proposals should be submitted in English language only.

Selection Criteria

• Project Proposal
  • Alignment with ‘SBIF Asha Scholarship’ framework.
  • Clear and concise detailing of the proposed solution, implementation plan and outcomes.
  • Innovation in the project.
  • Risk-mitigation measures.
  • Comprehensiveness of the Log frame & Project timelines.
  • Project Monitoring & Evaluation Process.
  • Proportion of admin and overhead costs, in comparison to the total project budget.
  • Project exit strategy & sustainability of the solution.
• Experience
  • The NGO should have a minimum of 3 years of existence on the date of publication of this RFP.
  • The NGO should have a minimum of 3 years of overall work experience in managing large-scale scholarships.
  • The NGOs having demonstrated capability to improve measurable outcomes to ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of the intervention will be preferred.
  • The agency must have expertise and knowledge of credentials and rankings of academic institutions, colleges, universities etc. in India and abroad.
  • The agency must have managed a scholarship corpus of at least INR 5.00 Cr. so far.
  • The agency must have an in-house team for project implementation, with more than 5 permanent employees.
  • The agency must have an existing dashboard/scholarship management portal.
  • The agency must have existing and comprehensive SOPs in place for scholarship application management.
  • The NGO must have completed at least 3 assignments/projects of a similar nature funded by a Public sector/Govt. Organizations/Central/State government authority/ Foundations.
• The Agency shall be rejected if:
  • The cumulative annual revenue of the organisation for the last 3 financial years is less than Rs. 5.00 Crores.
  • It has political or religious associations.
  • It fails to furnish the due diligence documents.
  • The number of board members is less than 3.
  • The number of permanent employees is less than 5.
  • The individual donors are among the top 3 donors.

For more information, visit SBI Foundation.