Ford Foundation India Grants
Ford Foundation (India office) · Foreign foundation · Verified 3 August 2026
Grants to Indian civil-society organisations working on civic engagement and government, and on gender, racial and ethnic justice. FCRA registration required.
Open, rolling. Applications are accepted continuously — there is no deadline.
Key facts
- Grant size
- Not specified
- Funding type
- Grant
- Deadline
- Rolling
About this program
The Ford Foundation's India programme concentrates on two thematic areas: civic engagement and government, and gender, racial and ethnic justice. Grants support grassroots organisations, research institutions and advocacy groups working on these themes across India, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
As the Foundation is a foreign source under FCRA, every Indian grantee must hold a valid FCRA registration. Funds are received into an FCRA-designated account with State Bank of India, New Delhi Main Branch, and administrative-cost use is subject to the 20% cap set by the FCRA rules.
Who can apply
- Eligible organisation types
- Public charitable trust, Registered society, Section 8 company
- 12A registration
- Required
- 80G registration
- Not specified
- CSR-1 registration
- Not specified
- FCRA registration
- Required
- NGO Darpan ID
- Not specified
- Where the NGO may be based
- Not restricted
India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Indian grantees still require FCRA regardless of the Foundation's own geographic coverage.
Registered Indian NGOs (trust, society or Section 8 company) working substantively in one of the two India programme themes. Valid FCRA registration is mandatory — no legal alternative for foreign-source grants.
How to apply
Ford Foundation does not publish an open online application form for India grants. Prospective grantees engage through the New Delhi office or through programme officers working on their theme.
What the money can be spent on
Administrative expenses are capped at 20% of the grant under FCRA rules, regardless of the Foundation's own overhead norms.
Reporting and compliance
Grantees file the annual FC-4 return with the Ministry of Home Affairs summarising all foreign contributions received. Funds cannot be onward-transferred to any sub-grantee that isn't itself FCRA-registered.
Frequently asked questions
Is FCRA registration required?
Yes. The Ford Foundation is a foreign source under FCRA and every Indian grantee must hold a valid FCRA registration. There is no legal path around this requirement.
Can Ford Foundation funds be regranted to partners?
Under the 2020 FCRA amendments, onward transfer of foreign contribution to any sub-grantee that isn't itself FCRA-registered is prohibited. Any regranting must be to another FCRA-holding entity.
Focus areas
- Civic Engagement
- Governance
- Gender Justice
- Human Rights
Communities served
- Women
- Minority Communities
Details last verified on 3 August 2026. Source: the funder's published information.
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