Most CSR stories in India last a single financial year. A cheque is signed, a photo is taken, and the company moves on. Western Refrigeration chose a different path. Since 2021–22, it has supported rural education through The Kalgidhar Society, Baru Sahib, every single year without a break. Here is how that six-year partnership grew, why steady support matters more than one big donation, and what it shows about finding the best NGO for CSR Funding in India
Most Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) stories begin and end in the same financial year. A budget gets approved, a cheque is handed over, a photograph is taken, and by the next annual report the company has moved on to a different cause. There is nothing wrong with that. It is simply how a lot of corporate giving in India works.
What Long-Term CSR Funding for Education Actually Means
Committed CSR funding is support a company keeps giving to the same partner or cause over several years. It treats CSR as a relationship rather than an annual transaction.
The difference shows most clearly on the ground. A rural school cannot plan a computer lab, a new classroom or a training programme around money that may or may not arrive next year. When funding is predictable, the institution can plan staff properly and finish what it starts.
Under Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013, companies that meet certain thresholds of net worth, turnover or net profit must spend at least 2% of their average net profit from the previous three years on CSR. Education is one of the activities listed in Schedule VII of the Act, and CSR funding for education has long been among the largest areas of CSR spending in India. The law sets a floor for how much a company spends. It says nothing about whether that money goes to the same cause twice. That choice is left to the company, and it is exactly where a long-term CSR partnership begins.
Western Refrigeration and Baru Sahib: A Partnership Built on Trust
Western Refrigeration was founded by Mr Bhupinder Singh. Today, he leads the company together with his sons, Harmeet Singh and Parmeet Singh.
Mr Bhupinder Singh’s connection with Baru Sahib, however, began long before the company’s CSR journey. For more than two decades, he was associated with Sant Baba Iqbal Singh Ji, the founding pillar of The Kalgidhar Trust and The Kalgidhar Society, Baru Sahib, and he has supported the Society ever since that association began. That long personal bond, built on trust in the Society’s work, carried naturally into the family business. When Western Refrigeration made its first CSR contribution towards the Society’s education work in the 2021–22 financial year, it was formalising a relationship that already existed. The company’s CSR partnership with the Society has continued every year since and now runs past five years.
For any company trying to identify the best NGO for CSR funding, the choice Western Refrigeration made is worth a closer look. The Kalgidhar Society, founded in 1956, runs 130 Akal Academies across five states of North India, where more than 75,000 students study. Most of them come from rural families in villages where good schooling is hard to find. For a company looking to direct its CSR for rural education in India, the Society offered something that takes decades to build: a working network of schools already rooted in the communities they serve.
That foundation is what allowed one year of support to turn into the next, and the next after that.
Six Years of Unbroken CSR Support for Rural Education
Western Refrigeration has contributed to every financial year from 2021–22 to 2026–27. Here is how that support has unfolded.
Financial year – What the support went towards
2021–22: The company’s first CSR contribution to the Society’s education work
2022–23: 55 CPUs with keyboard and mouse sets, along with further financial support later in the year
2023–24: Hands-on learning facilities in eight Akal Academies, and the Society’s women’s empowerment programme
2024–25: Ten flat panels for Akal Academy Baru Sahib, and VR labs at the Society’s nursing college
2025–26: Learning facilities in five Akal Academies, and prefabricated houses
2026–27: Learning facilities in nine Akal Academies
Read the list as a whole and a pattern appears. Each year has added something to the last. After the first contribution in 2021–22, computers came next, then practical learning spaces, then digital classroom tools and training facilities for future nurses. Over time, the partnership has also reached beyond the classroom, into women’s empowerment and housing.
None of this follows a fixed formula. The support has moved with the Society’s needs, which is only possible when both sides expect to be working together again next year.
Why Consistency Matters More Than Size
A large one-time donation makes a good headline. Steady support over many years tends to make a bigger difference. There are four reasons why.
Schools can plan beyond one year
When a school knows support will continue, it can think in terms of multi-year goals instead of one-off purchases. Equipment gets maintained, teachers get trained to use it, and new facilities are added to what already exists rather than starting from scratch each time.
Trust grows on both sides
Every year of a partnership teaches both partners something. The company sees how its earlier support has been put to use. The Society learns what the company cares about and where its help fits best. That shared understanding is hard to build with a new partner every year.
Impact adds up for the same children
Rural students spend years in the same school. Support that continues across those years reaches the same children at different stages, from their first time at a computer to more advanced practical learning later on. One-time funding rarely follows a child that far.
It sets an example for others
A company that returns year after year sends a clear signal to its peers, its employees and its customers. It says this cause is a priority, not a box to tick before the financial year closes.
What Other Companies Can Learn from This Partnership
For CSR heads planning their next cycle, Western Refrigeration’s approach offers a few practical lessons.
Choose a partner, not just a project
A project ends when the funds run out. A partner with an established presence on the ground can absorb support year after year and put it where it is needed most.
Think in years, not budget cycles
Plan CSR funding for education with a three- to five-year view, even though the spending is reported annually.
Let needs shape the support
Western Refrigeration’s contributions have taken different forms over the years, including computers, learning facilities, digital classroom tools, women’s empowerment and housing. That flexibility has kept the support relevant.
Check credibility before committing
The Kalgidhar Society is registered on the National CSR Portal (CSR-1), holds 12A and 80G registrations, and was the first non-profit from Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to register on the BSE Social Stock Exchange. Credentials like these are among the first things to check when shortlisting the best NGO for CSR funding, and they make a long-term commitment easier to justify to a board.
Make Your CSR a Commitment
Western Refrigeration’s six-year partnership with The Kalgidhar Society shows that the strongest CSR funding for education is not always the loudest. It is the support that turns up again next year, and the year after that, until it becomes part of how a school grows.
That is the kind of partnership CSR for CHANGE exists to build. CSR for CHANGE is the dedicated CSR arm of The Kalgidhar Society, Baru Sahib, created to help companies partner directly with the Society on long-term work in rural India. Through it, corporate partners work with an organisation that has served rural communities since 1956 and today runs 130 Akal Academies and two universities across five states, along with a charitable hospital and drug de-addiction centres.
If your company is looking for the best NGO for CSR funding supporting rural education, and wants its CSR to last beyond a single financial year, partner with CSR for CHANGE and build a commitment that rural students can count on.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is committed CSR funding?
It is the support a company gives to the same partner or cause over several years, rather than as a one-time contribution. It lets the receiving organisation plan long-term and build on earlier work.
Why is long-term CSR funding for education important in rural India?
Rural schools need predictable support to plan facilities, train teachers and maintain equipment. Funding that continues year after year also reaches the same students across different stages of their schooling.
Which companies must spend on CSR in India?
Under the Companies Act, 2013, a company with a net worth of Rs. 500 crore or more, a turnover of Rs. 1,000 crore or more, or a net profit of Rs. 5 crore or more in the preceding financial year must spend at least 2% of its average net profit from the last three years on CSR.
How long has Western Refrigeration supported The Kalgidhar Society?
Western Refrigeration has been associated with The Kalgidhar Society for more than five years and has made CSR contributions in six consecutive financial years, from 2021–22 to 2026–27. Its founder, Mr Bhupinder Singh, has supported the Society for more than two decades.
How can a company partner with The Kalgidhar Society for CSR?
Companies can get in touch through CSR for CHANGE, the Society’s CSR arm, to discuss projects in education, healthcare, women’s empowerment and other areas.
Can professionals and students connect with The Kalgidhar Society beyond corporate funding?
Yes. Alongside corporate partnerships, CSR for CHANGE offers routes for people who want to contribute their time and skills, including volunteering on active projects and internships with the Society’s teams. Individuals who wish to support a single child’s schooling can also sponsor a student through Educate To Save.
What NGO grading has The Kalgidhar Society received?
The Kalgidhar Society has received an NGO 2A grading from CareEdge Analytics & Advisory, a wholly owned subsidiary of CARE Ratings Ltd. The grade reflects high delivery capability and high organisational capability, following a review of the Society’s governance, financial systems, programme execution and organisational capacity.
What does Credibility Alliance accreditation mean for donors and CSR partners?
Credibility Alliance is a leading voluntary accreditation body for non-profit organisations in India. The Kalgidhar Trust, Baru Sahib, holds its accreditation under the Desirable Norms, valid through January 2029. For donors and CSR partners, it offers independent assurance that the organisation’s governance, financial management and public disclosures meet recognised standards.