FCRA PROJECT
FCRA PROJECT: AGA KHAN FOUNDATION'S - INNOVATION FUND FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT.
Name of funding
agency: Aga Khan Foundation
Name of grant
programme: Innovation Fund for Rural Development
Background: The Aga Khan Development Network was founded by His Highness
the Aga Khan and brings together a number of development agencies, institutions
and programmes that work primarily in the poorest regions of Asia and Africa.
The Aga Khan Development Network works through the SCALE (Sustainable
Community-Based Approaches to Livelihood Enhancement) programme in India. The
main focus is to try out innovative processes to enhance livelihood generation
in the semi-arid rain-fed rural areas in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat,
Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan.
Types of Grant: This
fund provides small grants to NGOs to implement short term projects for a
maximum of two years.
Grant Size: The
grant size may vary depending on the project but the maximum amount of grant
available is INR 25,000,000.
Own Contribution: The Aga Khan Foundation expects the applicant to contribute
with something.
Funding Priorities
The main priority area of this programme is to enhance
livelihood generation in rural areas by implementing
innovative processes. This is expected to be achieved by:
• Use of information and communication technology in
livelihood enhancement.
• Making governance reform, especially those related to
local governance.
• Implementing innovative approaches to microenterprise
development and microfinance access.
Special priority will be given to projects which focus on
marginalised sections of society, such as:
• Under-served populations in geographically remote areas.
• Livelihood of women, the very poor, under-privileged and
marginalised people (elderly citizens, physically challenged, weaker groups,
etc).
• Environmental health of rural communities (mainly women
and children, who are particularly vulnerable to water-borne diseases, indoor
air pollution and lack of focused health-care services.
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible are NGOs registered for at least three years under
the Societies Act or the Trust Act in India with Foreign Contribution
Regulation Act (FCRA) to support the implementation of innovative ideas through
village federations, community groups, self-help groups and public agencies.