Funda Kohli
Funda Kohli was set up in 2005 and is an organisation that provides support to a network of causes in Costa Rica.
The organisation has seen the creation of canteens which provide free meals for thousands of people every day. Funda Kohli also supports educational institutions that ensure the welfare and empowerment of young Costa Ricans and their families.
Tej Kohli Future Bionics
Tej Kohli is always focused on the future. Everything that the Tej Kohli Foundation involves itself in and creates, follows that. Tej Kohli Future Bionics is based on the premise of ensuring all young people have the best future possible.
COVID-19 Response
Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tej Kohli set up YouCube. This was a youth-focused UK food initiative created by the Tej Kohli Foundation that aimed to ‘repackage’ food provision as an ‘off-the-shelf’ initiative that charity and volunteer groups can adopt to combat holiday hunger within their own local community.
The boxes contained nutritious food, educational equipment and entertainment for families suffering throughout the pandemic.
Other Projects
Caudwell Children
The Caudwell Children charity helps improve the lives of disabled children by providing equipment, diagnosis services and support. The Tej Kohli Foundation donated funds towards the charity which contributed towards state-of-the-art wheelchairs for children in need.
The generous donation by the Tej Kohli Foundation at the 2022 Butterfly Ball will help Caudwell Children provide four disabled children with life-changing state-of-the-art powered wheelchairs.
The electric wheelchairs, each costing up to £25,000 and therefore out of reach for most families provide unparalleled independence, social mobility, physiotherapy and improved circulation from their wide range of adjustable controls. Each chair can adjust its height and seating to enable children and young people with limited mobility to raise themselves to stand at eye level for equitable social interactions which in turn increases self-confidence and independence.
Caudwell Children is incredibly grateful to Mr Tej Kohli for his philanthropy and for giving disabled children the choice, opportunity, dignity and understanding they deserve.
One beneficiary of a powered wheelchair, Poppy (age 18) who has Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy & a learning disability, said:
“I would like to express my gratitude for this valuable piece of equipment which supports my independence. I use it every day to access my college education, but also at home…the adjustable height enables me to do my own laundry for example. Because the powered footplates move, I can give myself an ‘active stretch’ which means I can be more comfortable in my chair, for longer periods. These functions were not available on my NHS-prescribed wheelchair.”
The Salvation Army
During the U.K lockdown of 2020, the Tej Kohli Foundation collaborated with The Salvation Army, undertaking various tasks which would help alleviate the stresses on families.
The foundation pledged to support 300 underprivileged children and their families whilst free school meals were unavailable at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In Hounslow, London, the foundation agreed to contribute double whatever the Salvation Army was spending per head on the contents and delivery of food parcels to lower-income families in the area.
Massachusetts Eye And Ear
In 2019, the Tej Kolhi Foundation pledged $2 million towards Harvard Medical School’s Massachusetts Eye and Ear.
The donation, spread across a 5-year period, has established the Tej Kohli Cornea Program and will help accelerate the research and development of corneal disease prevention.
With corneal blindness being the third largest cause of blindness worldwide, the donation is enabling professionals at the acclaimed school to play a large role in the prevention of further global damage.
Annabel’s for the Amazon
As part of the Caring Family Foundation, Annabel’s for the Amazon is a charitable initiative funded by the owner of Annabel’s private member’s club in London’s Mayfair.
Its goal is to raise money for the restoration of Brazil’s Amazon Rainforest and it occurs annually each September.
The Tej Kohli Foundation made a generous contribution towards the initiative in 2022, as it aligns with the efforts Mr Kohli has made in his organisation, Funda Kohli, in helping protect ecosystems in South America.
The Caring Family Foundation
The Caring Family Foundation has the vision to create a world where no one goes hungry and all groups of society can thrive.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the foundation set up the One Million and One Meals campaign. The project provided over 1 million meals to NHS key workers and their families at a time when it was needed most.
The Tej Kohli Foundation donated funds towards the campaign alongside its own efforts at the time.
The Theatre Cafe
The Theatre Cafe is a cafe and performance space in London.
Many people that study or perform in the arts come from privileged backgrounds. Those children who are not so lucky are often left unable to take part in activities such as weekend theatre classes. The Tej Kohli Foundation understands this and so sponsored an evening at the cafe where young adults from underprivileged backgrounds were able to perform to an audience.
Southall Community Alliance
In 2020, the Tej Kohli Foundation partnered with Young Ealing’s Foundation and the Southall Community Alliance to provide a YouCube box consisting of food and educational materials to families across the area.
YouCube is an initiative created by the Tej Kohli Foundation to inspire young people to eat healthily, cook meals and engage with educational ideas. Each box would come, hand-delivered to the door and alongside the food and materials, there would be an inspirational quote.
The initiative aims to reduce the social stigma of receiving food from a food bank or other food donor organisations, as well as perhaps become a part of other food charities and groups that can adopt and implement their own strategies.
