HONG KONG, June 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sharing the disruptive DNA of HKBN Group, HKBN Talent CSI Fund ("CSI Fund"), an independently operated charity, today announced the launch of two game-changing social funding initiatives: "404 Not F_und?" and "Zero to Hero Fund". The former encourages youths to unleash their boundless creativity without fear of failure, while the latter helps youths blaze their own future by upgrading work skills, resilience and/or technological capabilities. Besides providing capital support, the CSI Fund will also match the needs and goals of selected projects with the resources and strengths of HKBN Group and its broad network of partners, to ensure their success.
404 Not F_und?: A chance for youthful creativity to shine
Social funding programmes which assess applications based on the likelihood of success, rather than on innovation, leading to a knock-on effect of stifling creativity and outside-the-box ideas among youths, who typically lack the resources to even try. CSI Fund's "404 Not F_und?" initiative works differently, prioritising creativity and personal growth by giving youths aged 16 to 29 everything they need - networking, experience and capital - to turn the most outlandish ideas into reality. Accepting applications starting today, CSI Fund will grant up to HK$100,000 in support for each selected project, regardless of success or failure. This way, youths will gain invaluable experiences through the journey, building a solid foundation for future development and success.
Zero to Hero Fund: Supercharging youth support in partnership with SPOs
To massively scale up support throughout the communities, CSI Fund's "Zero to Hero Fund" will sponsor social profit organisations (SPOs) in various innovative and scalable projects aimed at upgrading skillsets and capabilities of youths. Starting today, SPOs can submit applications to receive HK$2 million over a two-year period (up to HK$1 million per year). In addition to funding, CSI Fund will work closely with each organiser for the project's duration, leveraging HKBN Group's technology resources and its network of business and community partners for maximum impact.
CY Chan, Chairman & Director of HKBN Talent CSI Fund, said, "The creativity and inventiveness in youths never ceases to amaze. As a society, we should provide our young talents with the resources and encouragement to dream big! These new initiatives will provide the much needed capital and a robust support network to help our young talents turning their ideas into reality. By working with SPOs, our investments can empower more youths to grow, learn and be inspired."
For more details about the new funding initiatives under CSI Fund, please visit:
404 Not F_und?": www.csifund.org/en/404notfund
Zero to Hero Fund: www.csifund.org/en/zerotoherofund
Summary of "404 Not F_und?" and "Zero to Hero Fund"
Items |
404 Not F_und? |
Zero to Hero Fund |
Funding target |
Youths |
Social profit organisations (Organisations that create social benefits and value such as non-profit organisations, charities and social enterprises) |
Project funding amount |
Up to HK$100,000 per project with a maximum of six projects per year (each project must be completed within four months) |
Up to HK$2 million (for two years, up to HK$1 million per year) |
Project target |
To innovatively improve work skills, resilience and/or technological capabilities of youths |
|
Project requirements |
- Applicants must be Hong Kong residents aged 16 to 29 |
- Project beneficiaries must be youths aged 6 to 29 |
Application period |
15 June to 31 December, 2021 (by 5 pm)
(Applications will be in three rounds: 1st round - 15 - 30 June 2021 2nd round - 13 - 30 September 2021 3rd round - 13 - 31 December 2021) |
15 June to 30 July, 2021 (by 5pm)
(Briefing session will be held on 29 June 2021. Register here: https://forms.office.com/r/qqmGeiiCrD) |
Website |
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About HKBN Talent CSI Fund
HKBN Talent CSI Fund ("CSI Fund") is an independently operated charity with an aim to support youth related social investment projects through innovative and out-of-the-box ideas to help mitigate social issues and address community needs. CSI Fund was first established in 2015 with an initial seed funding of HK$5 million from Co-Owners of HKBN Ltd. ("HKBN"). In 2020, HKBN's Co-Owners donated another 4 million of their HKBN shares (including twice a year share dividends), with further shares pledged for donation in the future, to sustainably empower CSI Fund and its purposeful initiatives. To date, CSI Fund has touched the lives of over 8,000 beneficiaries through 38 projects and is open to requests for funding from more community projects and organisations.
CSI Fund is a charitable institution exempt from tax under Section 88 of the Inland Revenue Ordinance. The Board of Directors of CSI Fund comprises of a mix of HKBN Talents and community leaders. First established in Hong Kong with a view to caring for different community needs, CSI Fund has since extended its services and impact beyond Hong Kong with the setup of its first branch in Guangdong, China. For details, please visit https://csifund.org/en.
