NGOGrant guide

Mariwala Health Initiative Indigenous Mental Health Exception: A Guide for NGOs

By Vekho P. Ringa · Published November 1, 2026

By the NGOGrant.in Editorial · Last verified 1 Nov 2026 against MHI’s official Grants page and its grant guidelines (PDF)

Mariwala Health Initiative

Short answer: Mariwala Health Initiative (MHI), a Mumbai-based funder of mental health work, says its general grant applications have been “temporarily closed” since 7 May 2026. With effect from 19 October 2026, it says proposals on indigenous mental health from community-led organisations and collectives “will be taken into consideration as an exception”. The first step is a short outline email to grants@mariwalahealthinitiative.org. A detailed proposal follows only if MHI shows interest. Amount and duration are not disclosed. No deadline stated.

What actually changed on MHI’s Grants page

If you heard that Mariwala Health Initiative has “a new grant” for Indigenous mental health, slow down a little. Nothing new has been launched under a name. What has happened is narrower, and it is worth reading MHI’s own words before you plan anything.

MHI’s Grants page carries a notice in two parts. The first part says:

“Grant applications are temporarily closed as of May 7, 2026 , due to the high volume of submissions received. Updates regarding reopening will be shared on this page.”

The second part says:

“With effect from October 19, 2026, proposals for funding towards indigenous mental health by organisations and collectives that are community-led will be taken into consideration as an exception.”

So the general door is still shut. MHI has carved out one exception: work on indigenous mental health, done by organisations and collectives that are community-led. It does not say how many proposals it will consider, how much it will give, or which of its grant types the exception falls under. It also does not say the exception will last for any fixed period. We read “taken into consideration” as exactly that: MHI will look at such proposals. It is not a promise of funding, and it is not a call with a budget attached.

One more thing we checked. MHI’s grant guidelines PDF, the longer document linked from the Grants page, was last changed in December 2022. It explains how MHI works with partners in general, but it does not mention this exception at all. Treat the Grants page as the only official word on the exception.

At a glance: what MHI says, and what it does not

Who this is realistically for

Read the exception slowly and three conditions fall out of it. The work has to be about mental health. It has to concern indigenous communities. And the group sending the proposal has to be community-led. A district hospital, a city-based counselling start-up or a large NGO with an Adivasi programme but no community leadership may not fit, however good its work.

MHI does not define “community-led” or “indigenous”, and we will not define them for it. In India, people often use words such as Adivasi or tribal community, and many groups work with Scheduled Tribes. Whether MHI reads its word “indigenous” the same way is for MHI to say. What you can do is describe your own group honestly: who started it, who runs it today, who makes decisions, and which communities it works with.

To make this concrete, here are five made-up examples. They are not real organisations, not MHI grantees, and do not mean MHI prefers these states; groups anywhere in India read the same notice. An Adivasi women’s collective in Odisha running peer support circles after displacement; a Bhil youth group in Rajasthan or Madhya Pradesh talking about distress and alcohol use in their own language; a Gond community group in Chhattisgarh training local listeners; a tribal-led trust in the Nilgiris or Wayanad working on grief and stress in plantation hamlets; or a collective in Jharkhand or Gujarat linking traditional healers with counsellors. Each is different, but each is led from inside the community and is about mental well-being.

MHI also has a general list of preferences that applies to everyone it funds, not only to this exception. We quote it in full so it is not misread:

“We prefer to fund organisations: Without any existing foreign or domestic institutional funder (an institutional funder is any philanthropy, foundation, funding agency, or CSR support. Located in marginalized/low-resource geographical regions or conflicted areas within India (i.e., Northeast region, Bihar, Jharkhand, J&K, etc.). Preference is given to organizations outside of Maharashtra, West Bengal, and Karnataka. Led by persons from historically marginalized communities. Founded or led by Indigenous persons.”

This is MHI’s general wording for all applicants. It is not a condition of the exception, and NGOGrant.in does not give any state or region priority. Groups from every part of India read the same notice.

What MHI looks for in any partner

The guidelines PDF describes MHI’s general approach. A few points will shape how your outline is read, even though the PDF predates the exception:

• MHI describes a “predominantly feminist mandate” and expects partners to show “a demonstrated capacity to work on gender issues”.
• Client confidentiality is called “a non-negotiable ethical consideration”.
• Partners are expected to document a gender policy, for example an anti-sexual harassment cell. Our NGO policies checklist lists the basic policies small organisations usually keep.
• The Grants page says MHI prefers community-based, people-driven approaches over “blanket institutionalization and medicalization”.

If your work touches any of these, say so briefly in the outline. If you do not yet have a written gender or safeguarding policy, it is better to know that now.

How the process works, step by step

1. Read the Grants page again on the day you write. Confirm that the exception sentence is still there and that nothing has been added. The notice says updates on reopening will be shared on the same page.
2. Send a short outline email to grants@mariwalahealthinitiative.org. The Grants page asks for “an outline of the proposed project”. The older guidelines describe this first mail as a “broad, basic outline” that also enquires about the availability of funds.
3. Wait for MHI’s response. Only “once MHI has expressed interest” does it ask for a detailed project proposal, an implementation plan with performance metrics, a detailed budget and information about your organisation.
4. If accepted, sign a formal agreement. MHI says it will set out the agreed activities, indicators, budget commitments and reporting.
5. Report during and after the grant. The Grants page mentions quarterly or six-monthly progress and financial reports, a final project report and a final financial report, and an evaluation by an external agency on agreed terms.

Sending an outline does not guarantee interest or funding. MHI does not publish a response time, so do not build your year’s plan around this one email.

Our advice: what to put in a one-page outline

This section is our guidance, not MHI’s format. MHI does not prescribe a format for the outline. A short, specific outline is easier for any funder to read than a long, general one. Write it yourself, in your own words. A checklist of what we would cover:

• Who you are, in two lines. Your legal name, legal form (trust, society, Section 8 company, or an unregistered collective), the state and district where you work, and the year you started.
• Who leads. One or two sentences on how the community leads the organisation: who founded it, who sits on the board or core group, and whether they come from the community you serve.
• The mental health need. What you are seeing on the ground, described plainly. Avoid statistics you cannot source.
• What you want to do. The activity, the people it reaches, and why your approach suits the community’s own ways of understanding distress and healing.
• What you have already done. Past work, even if small and unfunded, with honest numbers you can back up.
• Rough scale. An approximate period and size of the work. You can say a detailed budget will follow if MHI is interested.
• Current funders. MHI’s general preferences mention organisations without an existing institutional funder, so be straightforward about who funds you today.
• Contact person with phone and email, and the language you are most comfortable in.

Keep the subject line clear, for example naming your organisation and “outline: indigenous mental health”. Attach nothing unless you need to; MHI will ask for documents if it wants them. Our guide to the NGO project proposal format and the project budget guide will help when you reach the second stage.

What to have ready before you write

MHI asks for very little at the outline stage, but the second stage moves quickly once interest is shown. Have these in one folder:

• Your registration certificate and governing document for whatever legal form you have (trust deed, society bye-laws, or Section 8 memorandum and articles). If you are still choosing a form, our comparison of society vs trust vs Section 8 company and the list of documents required for NGO registration are a good start.
• PAN of the organisation, bank account details, and the last one or two years of accounts if you have them.
• 80G certificate, if you hold one; MHI’s proposal format asks whether you have it. Our 12A and 80G registration page explains both.
• Evidence of community leadership: names and roles of your board or core group, minutes of community meetings, letters from gram sabhas or community bodies where relevant.
• Any written policies, especially on gender, sexual harassment and confidentiality.
• A short organisation profile or annual report. Our NGO Profile and Annual Report Templates can help if you do not have one.

MHI does not say whether NGO Darpan, CSR-1, FCRA or 12A is needed, and we do not assert either way. Many other Indian funders do ask for them, so it does no harm to know where you stand: see our pages on NGO Darpan registration, CSR-1 registration and FCRA registration and prior permission. General information only, not legal advice.

Common mistakes we would avoid

• Sending a full proposal and budget in the first email. MHI asks for an outline first.
• Writing to the addresses in the old PDF. For the outline, use the address on the Grants page.
• Describing a general health, livelihoods or education project with a line on mental health added at the end.
• Claiming to be community-led without showing who leads. MHI cannot verify a label; it can read your board list.
• Writing to MHI about work that is not about indigenous mental health while general applications are closed.
• Assuming the exception has a fixed end date, or that it will run for months. No deadline stated, and the page can change.
• Paying anyone who promises to “get” you MHI funding. No one can.

If you are asking for event or conference support

MHI’s Grants page sets advance timelines for event requests in general: at least 30 days before the event for events by community-led organisations and collectives, and at least 60 days for academic conferences and events by organisations or academic institutions, including registered NGOs. The page does not say how these timelines interact with the exception, so ask MHI in your outline if this applies to you.

What we could not confirm

• The amount, ceiling or duration of any support under the exception (not disclosed).
• Which of MHI’s grant types the exception covers.
• How MHI defines “community-led” or “indigenous”.
• Whether unregistered collectives can receive funds directly, beyond MHI’s mention of grants to activists and collectives as a grant type.
• How long MHI takes to reply to an outline, or how long the exception will last.
• Whether NGO Darpan, CSR-1, FCRA or 12A registration is required.

NGOGrant.in has not contacted MHI. Everything here comes from MHI’s public pages, read on 1 Nov 2026.

Official position vs our advice

Where we can help

We can help you get your paperwork and proposal in order, not win funding. Our NGO Project Proposal and Budget Templates are useful for the second stage, and our registration and compliance services cover the documents funders usually ask for. For other calls, browse our NGO funding opportunities directory and our guide to grants for NGOs in India.

NGOGrant.in is not Mariwala Health Initiative and is not an official MHI website. We do not award grants, influence any funder’s decision, or charge any fee to “approve” or “release” a grant. Any fees are only for documentation or proposal preparation help. Always verify details with MHI on its official Grants page before you act. Nothing here guarantees funding.

Frequently asked questions

Is Mariwala Health Initiative taking grant applications now?

Not in general. MHI says its grant applications have been temporarily closed since 7 May 2026. The one exception, with effect from 19 October 2026, is for proposals on indigenous mental health from organisations and collectives that are community-led. MHI says these will be taken into consideration as an exception. That is the only exception the Grants page states.

How much funding does MHI give under this exception, and for how long?

MHI has not disclosed an amount, a ceiling or a duration, either on its Grants page or in its grant guidelines. We would not guess. If MHI is interested in your outline, it will ask for a detailed budget, and the figures are settled at that stage.

What is the last date to send an outline?

No deadline stated. MHI’s page gives no closing date for the exception. That also means it could change without much notice, so check the Grants page again on the day you send your email.

Which email address should we use?

Use grants@mariwalahealthinitiative.org, the address printed on MHI’s Grants page for the outline email. The older grant guidelines PDF (last changed in December 2022) lists other MHI email addresses and no grants@ address. We mention this only so you are not confused; for an outline under this exception, follow the Grants page.

Does our organisation need NGO Darpan, CSR-1, FCRA or 12A registration?

MHI does not say. Neither the Grants page nor the guidelines mention NGO Darpan, CSR-1, FCRA or 12A. The proposal format in the guidelines asks for the legally registered name of the organisation, its registration (trust, society or Section 25 company) and whether it has 80G certification, as information fields. Have whatever papers your legal form gives you ready, and ask MHI if you are unsure.

What does MHI mean by community-led and indigenous?

MHI does not define either term on its Grants page, and we found none on its partner-profile page. Do not assume a definition. Describe plainly who leads your organisation or collective, who it works with and how the community takes decisions, and let MHI judge the fit.

Sources

• Mariwala Health Initiative: Grants page (notice, application guidelines, funding priorities) (checked 1 Nov 2026)
• Mariwala Health Initiative: Grant Guidelines (PDF, last changed Dec 2022; does not mention the exception) (checked 1 Nov 2026)

Last verified 1 Nov 2026. General information only, not legal or tax advice. Always confirm details on the official page.