The German Diplomatic and Consular Missions in India operate a programme which enables them to provide direct financial assistance to Indian and Bhutanese NGOs and religious institutions for the implementation of small-scale projects for the benefit of disadvantaged groups of society.

Small Scale Projects address the needs of the underprivileged parts of society, alongside the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, with a clear focus on “Helping people to help themselves” and aiming at funding a substainable improvement of living conditions.

The areas of activity are manifold: healthcare and sanitary equipment, income generation through education and vocational training, water supply, energy supply, food security, reconstructions after a natural disaster etc.

The Embassy’s administrative district comprises Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand as well as the Kingdom of Bhutan. The German Consulates General in Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai have their own funds for small scale projects within their districts.

In 2020 the German Embassy in New Delhi disbursed over € 140,000.00 among six projects, including special funds for emergency COVID-19 related measures.

Criteria

• The project partner (implementing agency) should be an experienced, qualified and reliable organization, preferably a non-government organization (NGO) registered under the Societies Registration Act. The organization must also be registered under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), which was amended in September 2020.
• Projects that have already started and projects that are co-financed by other donor organizations are not eligible for funding.
• The project must be completely implemented by 31st December 2021.
• The project partners are expected to make their own contributions towards a successful implementation of the projects (e.g. labour, overhead expenses like administration and travelling) and to ensure that follow-up costs can be met with own resources.

For more information, visit German Missions in India.