Call for Proposal: NFI Bandhutva (CSO Resilience Grant)

Event Date: 27 Jul 2025

Published On: 06 Jul 2025

Bandhutva (CSO Resilience Grant) is a flagship initiative of National Foundation for India (NFI), which aims at Strengthening Grassroot CSOs for Social Inclusion and Institutional Growth. Our objective is to enable capacities of Civil Society Organizations through financial and technical support, promoting leadership, facilitating platforms for dialogue and mobilising resources to promote social justice and drive social change at the grassroots. Through this support NFI aspires to create a strong learning cohort of organisations led by leaders from marginalised communities, Dalits, Tribal, Adivasi, minority communities, focussing women from these communities towards building strong grassroots organisations and leadership built on constitutional values and celebration of diversity.

Objectives of the Programme

Last date for application: July

Building strong CSO and leadership at the grassroots: Establish evidence based high impact CSOs led by individuals/groups and working with marginalised communities - Dalits, Tribal, Adivasi, minority community, especially women.
Reaching the unreached: Supporting small organisations working with limited resources (financial and non-financial) and passion to build an inclusive and value-based society.
Enabling spaces for learning and networking to build an ecosystem: Creating spaces for learning, support and guidance for mutual growth and development for organisations.

Who can apply?

1. Focus Geography If you are CSO led by and working with members of the marginalised communities (Dalit, Tribal, Adivasi, minority) in the following states:

East and Central states of India: Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha
Northeastern states of India: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram Nagaland

Eligibility Criteria for CSOs to be part of the programme

CSOs should be from the focused geography as mentioned above.
CSO must be registered as Society/Trust/Section 8 Company with a valid 12A, up-to-date audited financial statements, functioning for at least 3 years.
They must have strong community presence and connect.
CSO should NOT have an annual turnover more than 20 lakhs.
It should be led by an individual/group who are themselves are from marginalised social category (Dalit, Tribal, Adivasi, minorities especially women)
CSO should have a dedicated team of at least 5 members (paid/unpaid).
Working among socio-economic groups that are disadvantaged by gender and sexuality, class, caste, religion, ethnicity, disability.

Nature of the Grant and Support

1. Grant Type

The grant is aimed at enhancing organizational sustainability and strengthening, enabling strategic growth, and ensuring quality in program delivery. The grant will primarily support organisation building, capacity building in managing organisation and programmes both at systems and people level, enhancing programme delivery aligned with the stated objectives of the grant

2. Grant Size

Up to ₹8-10 lakhs per CSO per year
Subject to

Budget proposal submitted by the organization
Proven track record of impact and performance
Proportion of the requested fund in the overall organizational budget
Strength and credibility of founding team and governance structure
IT returns, Audited financials and Annual reports of the last three years
Clearance of programme due diligence by NFI team

3. Fund Duration

Up to 3 years subject to periodic reviews and alignment, with the initial agreement for 12 months.
Renewal after 12 months of the agreement will be subject to demonstrated performance, measurable impact and compliance.
NFI reserves the right to terminate or withhold the grant at any point during the grant period in case of misrepresentation, misconduct, or failure to meet agreed deliverables.

Application Process

The selection process for the CSO partners will be a two-step process with a desk followed by a field visit for shortlisted organisations. It will be a robust process. The steps to be followed for the selection process are as follows:

Call for application: (3 weeks for application)

Interested CSOs can apply in the prescribed format which will be shared through open advertisement. The advertisement will be on NFI’s website. We will also circulate it amongst our existing partners and networks in all the focused states. The collation and shortlisting of the applications will be at NFI level.

Followed by comprehensive diligence both financial and programmatic will be conducted through online interactions and field visits at programme and partner location.

Selection process

Stage 1: Applications will be first reviewed based on

Geographical location and eligibility criterions as stated above.
Organisation’s track record and profile will be verified
Content and intent of the proposal will be reviewed
Shortlisted organisations will be informed about the next steps

Stage 2: Document verification for financial and compliance diligence

Click Here to Apply

For Official Notification: Visit Here

About National Foundation for India (NFI)

NFI has been working for over 30 years as a grant making and capacity building institution, for strengthening civil society organisations towards promotion of social justice. NFI helps create pathways for communities to improve their own lives while advancing public understanding of critical social issues, ensuring no one is left behind. In this endeavour, NFI has partnered with more than 500 organizations working on critical issues at the grassroots in hard-to-reach areas. Since its inception, NFI has envisioned a plural, equitable, and democratic society where all citizens, especially those from the most marginalized communities, can lead lives of dignity and opportunity.