Our Functions

I. Validation & Accreditation

1. Identify credible SEs (Social enterprises) at grass-root levels and conduct extensive due diligence.
2. Validate specific programmes of these SEs and assess potential impact of these programmes towards our objectives.
3. Grade the shortlisted SEs on various parameters to assess their social effectiveness

In short we are a validation agency that accredits grass root social enterprises. Towards this, EPICS ties up with local audit firms that follow our validation norms. Additionally, EPICS also conducts ground visits, seeks independent external information and holds extensive discussions with the operators of the social enterprise. Click here for a sample information gathering and due diligence questionnaire which we subject our Social Enterprises and NGOs to initially - prior to project specific discussions.



?List of possible questions to before shortlisting SEs and NGOs and making contributions:

1. Nature of the Social Enterprise and NGO ? Registered trust/ Society?
2. Details of ongoing projects and initiatives, past track record and experience of the SE
3. Detailed business plan, existing costing plan and existing Organization structure (separately depicting the full time employees and office bearers)
4. Fund utilization plan, projected numbers and timelines for utilization
5. Medium to long term plans of the organization and whether there is a fitment with the current utilization plan for the funds
6. Checks and balances in the system to ensure proper disbursement of funds
7. Reporting frequency, monitoring and transparency to investor
8. Single point contact for EPICS for any updates/queries
9. Existing Bankers and cheque signing limits
10. Existing investors, cash flow sources and cash outflows yearly
11. Statement of Income and Expenditure for the latest period
12. News articles, media reports about the Investee?

II. A fund raising and monitoring platform

1. Conduct fund raising events and connect SEs to donors.
2. Track results and impact of the contributions made.
3. Assist SEs to adapt the best practices that donors seek.
4. Establish an ongoing win-win relationship between the donors, the NGOs and the programme participants to ensure long term benefits to the societal objectives.
5. Provide a platform for companies to select one of our pre-designed CSR programmes.

We aim to create a kind of feedback system that allows Social Enterprises and NGOs to know which programs are working, which ones are not, and to help them diagnose and analyze why a program is or isn't working so that they can improve their service delivery in the future.