Nearly 90 applications were received for the grant fund managed by the AES Chile Foundation and supported by the Municipality of Puchuncaví

April 17, 2024

• Over the past decade, the Puchuncaví Grant Fund has received more than 500 applications and, up to its ninth edition, has awarded over 270 grants that financed projects in environmental conservation, social development, heritage preservation, healthy living, energy and water efficiency, and community safety.
•  This year, the contest saw a greater diversity of applicants, including neighborhood associations, sports clubs, parent centers, rural water committees, and unions. The results of the process will be announced in May.

Puchuncaví, April 11, 2024. The application process for the 10th edition of the Puchuncaví Grant Fund, driven by the AES Chile Foundation in conjunction with the Honorable Municipality of Puchuncaví, closed on April 5 with a record number of applications. This time, 87 social initiatives seeking funding were received.

As in previous years, the fund will finance proposals in the following categories: Environmental Care; Social Development and initiatives that promote culture and protect heritage in the commune; Promotion of healthy living and sports in various disciplines; Energy and water efficiency; Community and neighborhood security; Entrepreneurship and development of productive or service activities that generate local employment and enhance tourism in the commune.

Paola Olivares, director of the AES Chile Foundation, noted, "We are very pleased with the large number of applicants we had in this tenth edition. This is a good indicator, as it demonstrates the value of this program over the years, which not only aims to transfer economic resources to the applicant organizations but also to impart knowledge in the development of social projects, encourage participation, strengthen community life, and contribute to improving the quality of life of the commune's residents."

During the application process, five training workshops were held on the development of social projects, three of them in rural areas such as La Laguna, Horcón, Las Ventanas, and two in downtown Puchuncaví. These meetings involved 141 representatives from social organizations in the commune.

Subsequently, 101 consultations were conducted, allowing each of the applicant organizations to translate their ideas into concrete plans, review the budget framework, and clarify doubts to develop a good and efficient community project.

Of the social organizations that applied for this new edition, the majority are neighborhood associations (18), followed by sports clubs (14), and advancement committees and boards (12), which increased their participation this year. Additionally, this new edition saw a diversification of applications, with the involvement of parent centers, rural water committees, communal unions, unions, mothers' centers, cultural groups, entrepreneur groups, among others.

The projects awarded the fund will be announced in May.