Cisco Technology Grant Program (TGP)

Program Overview & Application Process Guidelines

Patrick Verret, Technology Grant Program Leader, Cisco

August 2024
 Topics Covered
1. What is a Cisco Technology Grant?
• Eligibility
• Avoiding Sales Conflicts

2. TechSoup Managed Grants (smaller/simpler)

3. Cisco Managed Grants (larger/more complex)
• Application Process • Grant Decision
• Introductory Conversation • Donation Agreement
• Product List, Design, and Implementation • Ordering and Logistics
• Submit the Grant Application • Post-Grant Follow-Up
• Work with Cisco TGP Team

4. FAQs

© 2024 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

-
 Cisco donates our own technology to
qualified non-profit organizations to help
them realize significant gains in productivity,
security, scalability, and cost-efficiency.

© 2024 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

-
 What is a Cisco Technology Grant?
Technology Grants are charitable donations of Cisco-branded and
manufactured hardware, software, subscriptions and/or licenses.
Technology Grants ARE NOT:
• A donation of 3rd party equipment, goods or services (tablets, laptops, ISP costs, trainings, food,
clothing, etc.)
• Linked to anything that provides a direct benefit to Cisco
• To support an existing customer relation or provide any kind of discount
• To individuals or for-profit organizations

Technology Grants DO NOT INCLUDE:

• Design, installation, or training

© 2024 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

-
 Eligibility
• Only registered non-profit (NPO) or non-governmental (NGO) orgs can apply
• For the US, organizations must be recognized by the IRS as tax-exempt under Internal Revenue
Code Section 501(c)(3) and classified as a public charity
• Outside the US, organizations must provide information and documentation to prove the
organization is the equivalent of a US public charity

• Organization must serve the community at large

• Organization’s overhead must not exceed 25%

• Focus must be aligned with Cisco’s Social Investment Areas

• Cisco’s Grant Giving Policies must be adhered to

• Should avoid any sales conflicts

© 2024 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

-
 Avoiding Sales Conflicts
• Active Cisco customers are NOT eligible for TGP donations!

• A customer in this context is defined as any organization who:

• Purchased or intended to purchase Cisco products 6 months before a TGP request
• Intends to purchase Cisco products 6 months after a TGP request
• Has an ongoing sales relation with Cisco

• Conversely, sales to a TGP grantee are not permitted until 6 months after a charitable
donation
• Both direct and indirect sales via a Cisco partner or distributor are considered a sale

• Participating in a trial or try-and-buy program is considered an intent to purchase

• In case of doubt, please check with your TGP contact

© 2024 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

-
 TGP Donations Managed by TechSoup
• Since 2003, Cisco has partnered with TechSoup to provide smaller TGP donations in select countries

• TechSoup manages the application process and is the point of contact for this program

• For the US, learn more on the self-service TechSoup program page

• TechSoup works with Local Affiliates outside the US. Many of them will have local language application pages

• Need to comply with specific Eligibility and Restriction rules

• Limited to certain countries:

• Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy,
Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, UK, US

• Only supports certain products (select parts of the Meraki portfolio)

• Limited to $50K (US Global List Price) per year per grantee

• Subject to an administrative fee payable to TechSoup or their affiliate

• Does not follow a quarterly grant review cycle

© 2024 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

-
 Example TechSoup Managed Donation

MX68-HW

MV12-HW

MS130-24P-HW

MR70-HW
MR36-HW
© 2024 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

-
 TGP Donations Managed by Cisco
• Direct grant application process with Cisco via online application form

• By invitation only

• No upfront commitments are ever made

• Follow a quarterly review cycle

• Not subject to administrative fees

• Less restrictions on supported products; support for custom-built product lists

• Usually larger and more complex grants

• Limited to $100K (US Global List Price) for a first-time grant

• Program web page: Technology Grant Program

© 2024 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

-
 Example Cisco Managed Donation
MX105-HW
UCS C220 M6 Rack Server

MS130-24P-HW MS130-48P-HW

MR36-HW MV22-HW
MR46E-HW
MR86-HW
© 2024 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

-
 Application Process for Cisco Managed Donations
1. Introductory conversation
2. Finalize requested product list
3. Submit the grant application
4. Work with Cisco TGP team on refining the grant application for review
5. Grant decision
6. Donation agreement
7. Ordering and logistics
8. Post grant follow-up

© 2024 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

-
 Introductory Conversation
• Submit a question or request via TGP Contact Form

• If invited to a call:
• The TGP program rules will be reviewed
• Expectations, logistics, and timelines will be clarified
• Initial product list is reviewed to verify if the technology is supported by the TGP program
• High-level eligibility review is done

• An initial assessment of the request will be made

• TGP contact will provide the non-profit with advice on what next steps they can take

• If both non-profit and Cisco determine a TGP grant application can be an option, Cisco will
share the link to apply for a grant

© 2024 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

-
 Product List, Design, and Implementation
• Before a non-profit can submit a TGP grant application, a final product wish list needs to be
compiled. The wish list should contain exact Cisco part numbers, quantities and pricing
(Global US list price)
• The maximum request amount for first-time grant recipients is $100,000 (Global US list
price)
• If needed, the non-profit can obtain pricing from the TGP grant contact

• TGP team does not provide design, installation, or consultancy (only limited advice based
on grants made in the past)
• If the nonprofit is in discussions with any third-party or Cisco sales resources, the nonprofit
needs to make it clear to those sales resources that no product sales will be possible if the
technology grant is approved (see section on Sales Conflicts).
• Cisco always reserves the right to substitute parts, even after the donation agreement is
signed
© 2024 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

-
 Submit the Grant Application
• TGP grants are submitted online

• Only the non-profit applicant or their grant writer is allowed to submit

• Cisco employees, third parties, and/or any IT consultants involved cannot submit on behalf of the
non-profit

• Once submitted, the applicant is unable to make any edits

• Minor missing information can be uploaded later by the TGP team

• In case of large scope changes, the grant will be returned to the applicant for modification

• Be specific:
• Include measurable metrics when possible
• Avoid vague statements

© 2024 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

-
 Submit the Grant Application (continued)
• Use the available upload fields for additional information. Please include topology maps
when applicable

• Follow the TGP grant flow:

• What is your current situation?
• What do you want to change, or what technology do you want to implement?
• Why do you want to do this (i.e. what is the problem you are addressing)?
• What is your timeline?
• How will you implement this? How will you fund implementation?
• What will be the situation after deployment?
• How will you know you reached your goals?

• Don’t hesitate to reach out to your TGP contact for advice

© 2024 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

-
 Work with Cisco TGP Team
• Once submitted, the vetting process will start (independently done by CAF America)

• TGP team will:

• Work with the non-profit to ensure all required information for the review committee is present
• Confirm the non-profit understands and will assume the responsibility for any logistics and
applicable customs clearance requirements, duties and taxes, any in-country delivery costs, and
installation
• Confirm the final requested product list, with no more changes allowed after confirmation

© 2024 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

-
 Grant Decision
• We accept proposals for direct technology grants on an ongoing, year-round basis, but we
review grants on a quarterly cycle:
• Fiscal Year Q1: August – October; Q2: November – January; Q3: February – April; Q4: May – July

• Decision could be Approved, Declined, or Postponed

• Multi-phase grants are never committed to

• Grant decisions are usually based on (but not limited to):

• Non-profit focus areas and people served
• Grant request justification and metrics
• Grant request size
• Clear installation and deployment plans
• Grant history of the non-profit with Cisco
• Compliance with Cisco granting policies

© 2024 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

-
 Donation Agreement
• Donation agreements are signed via DocuSign

• Donation agreements are non-negotiable

• Only after grantee countersignature will orders be placed

• Only product numbers and quantities will be included (no product values)

• Any special terms will be documented in Exhibit B

• In case the non-profit is not the Importer of Record (applicable for certain countries), the
entity acting as Importer of Record will be documented in the donation agreement

© 2024 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

-
 Ordering and Logistics
• For Australia, Canada, EU, India, Mexico and US:
• Cisco ships to end-destination and acts as Importer of Record
• Cisco covers the duties and taxes
• Cisco pays for all shipping costs
• Orders will ship when ready and released by manufacturing
• There may be multiple shipments – or every item might ship separately
• Licenses are typically ordered at the same time as the hardware

© 2024 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

-
 Ordering and Logistics (continued)
For all other countries:
• Cisco ships to Port of Entry (usually the airport)

• Cisco typically only covers shipping cost to the Port of Entry

• Grantee needs to:

• Act as Importer of Record (can be delegated, but it cannot be Cisco)
• Pay applicable duties and taxes
• Apply for any licenses or approvals needed to import and use the technology
• Assume responsibility for ALL import procedures (or delegate to their broker)

• To maximize the license term, licenses will be ordered separately and closer to the onsite delivery
date
• Cisco tries to combine shipments when possible

• Shipments are only released when all import preparations are confirmed as completed

© 2024 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

-
 Post-Grant Follow-Up
• Surveys are emailed out:
• Initially to assess the installation progress
• Later to assess the grant’s impact

• If it is discovered that products are missing from the design to fully implement the grant,
contact the TGP team (e.g., missing an extra access point to fully cover an office)
• Any technical issues, questions, or problems need to be routed to Cisco or Meraki post-
sales support

© 2024 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

-
 FAQs

© 2024 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

-
 FAQs
How can I email or call the grant team?
Please use the TGP Contact Form to get in touch.

Does Cisco donate licenses or support contracts with donations?

Yes – we want every donation to be done in a sustainable way, without forcing a grantee to
purchase Cisco product to deploy a donation. Most charitable TGP donations come with
either 5-year licenses or 5-year support contracts.

What are common products granted via the TGP program?

The vast majority are Meraki products, followed by Webex endpoints and UCS servers.
Security subscription donations are increasingly requested.

© 2024 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

-
 FAQs (continued)
My grant application is very large. Can I offset this by buying at a discount some remaining
items?
No – we do not allow mixing of sales and charitable donations in any way.

Are all Cisco products donated via the TGP program?

No – there are limits to this program. Examples of non-supported technology: Webex
(Calling), Training Credits, or any OEM products. Please check with your TGP contact for the
latest guidelines.

I don’t know what products I need. Can you help?

It is the primary responsibility of the applicant to create a design and product list. We can
only offer limited help.
© 2024 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

-
 FAQs (continued)
We are not a registered non-profit (NPO) or non-governmental organization (NGO). Can we
still apply?
No – the program is only open to eligible registered NPOs and NGOs.

Does the TGP program fund some of the installation costs?

No – the TGP program is limited to Cisco technology and does not provide any monetary
funding.

Are TGP donations available worldwide?

Yes, in most cases. However, General Export Compliance rules must be followed.

© 2024 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

-
 FAQs (continued)
I no longer need the donated products. Can I hand them over to another organization or sell
them?
No – TGP donations are not to be transferred or sold. If you no longer need the equipment,
we advise you review The Cisco Takeback and Reuse Program. In some cases, and upon
approval, a donation can be transferred. For more information, contact your TGP contact or
use the TGP Contact Form.

© 2024 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.