NGO Funding Opportunities in October 2026: Open Calls and Deadlines

October 2026 deadlines at a glance

1. SBI Foundation: Gram Seva village-development proposals

This call has closed. The SBI Gram Seva RFP deadline was 23 October 2026. See current opportunities on our funding opportunities page.

SBI Foundation invites eligible NGOs and nonprofit organisations to implement integrated village-development work under SBI Gram Seva. The proposed project budget is ₹3 crore–₹4 crore over two years. This is a competitive implementation-partner RFP. The deadline is 23 October 2026. The RFP gives the date only and publishes no closing time, so send your proposal early rather than on the last evening.

The proposal must cover an integrated cluster of five neighbouring villages in one listed district. Each organisation may submit one proposal for one district only. SBI Foundation will finalise the project villages.

Eligible locations: 17 districts across 16 states and Jammu & Kashmir (Union Territory). In Assam, only Dhubri district is listed.

Who can apply?

• A nonprofit organisation, trust or society registered in the proposed state or headquartered there.
• At least 10 years of grassroots experience and at least three years of presence in the proposed state.
• Experience in at least five of the ten rural-development themes specified in the RFP.
• An in-house implementation team with more than five permanent employees, and at least three board members.
• Cumulative revenue of at least ₹5 crore across FY 2023–24, FY 2024–25 and FY 2025–26.

Registrations you will need to show. The RFP’s due-diligence checklist (Annexure II, p.16) asks for your 12A registration, 80G registration and Form CSR-1, along with your PAN and registration certificate. It lists the FCRA certificate as “if applicable”, so it is not a blanket requirement; the RFP does not spell out when it applies. These documents must be valid on the day you submit. NGO Darpan is not mentioned in the RFP. If any of these is missing or lapsed, sort that out first – an incomplete due-diligence file is one of the listed grounds for rejection.

Other rejection conditions include political or religious associations, individual donors among the top three donors, and incomplete mandatory information or due-diligence documents. Applicants must not be blacklisted. Subcontracting the project activities is not permitted. Read the full RFP and annexures before applying.

How to apply: Complete the prescribed proposal and all required annexures. Email them to gramsevarfp@sbifoundation.co.in by 23 October 2026, using the subject SBI GRAM SEVA RFP-NGO NAME. The RFP gives the date only and publishes no closing time, so send your proposal early rather than on the last evening. Only shortlisted organisations will be asked for hard copies later. Submission does not guarantee selection.

Sources checked 20 October 2026: SBI Foundation Request for Proposals page and the official Gram Seva RFP (PDF), the file behind the “Download” button on SBI Foundation’s page. Page references: budget p.3, deadline p.4, eligibility pp.6 and 11, district list p.10, document checklist (Annexure II) p.16. The RFP gives a closing date only, with no closing time. Check the official page for any amendment before you submit.

View the SBI Gram Seva funding-directory entry.

Putting together the Annexure II file? The CSR Proposal & Due Diligence Pack for NGOs helps you organise the proposal and the registration documents in one place. For the 2-year budget, our NGO Project Proposal & Budget Templates give you a starting format. These help with preparation only; selection is decided by SBI Foundation.

2. Commonwealth Foundation: civil-society advocacy grants

This call has closed. The Commonwealth Foundation’s 2026–27 Annual Grants Call closed on 26 October 2026; its pages gave the closing time as 1pm GMT (6:30 pm IST) and, in the application instructions, 12pm GMT (5:30 pm IST). See current opportunities on our funding opportunities page.

Eligible Indian nonprofits could apply for £15,000–£30,000 annually for up to two years through the Individual Organisation stream. The Collective Action stream offered £15,000–£20,000 annually for up to two years.

Projects must address climate and environmental justice, economic inclusion or freedom of expression through engagement with decision-makers or creative advocacy. Individual applicants need at least three years of operation and relevant experience. Average annual income must be below £2.5 million, and the request must meet the funder’s 70%-of-average-annual-income limit. Indian applicants must meet its FCRA-related requirements.

Project fit matters: service-delivery projects such as building construction, medicine distribution and water-pump installation are excluded. A senior citizens’ home construction proposal would not fit this call.

Closed: 26 October 2026. The official guidance gave conflicting 12:00 and 13:00 GMT cutoffs (5:30 pm or 6:30 pm IST). Projects are expected to begin in August–September 2027.

Read the official eligibility rules and application guidance.

3. Resilience Fund: women-led community organisations

This call has closed. Resilience Fund Phase 1 closed on 25 October 2026 at 11:59 pm CET (4:29 am IST, 26 October); Phase 2 is by invitation only. See current opportunities on our funding opportunities page.

The Resilience Fund offers US$15,000–$50,000 over two years in unrestricted funding to women- or non-binary-led community organisations in India, Bangladesh, Cambodia and Vietnam whose work links women’s health and safety, climate adaptation and global supply chains. Phase 1 closed 25 October 2026 at 11:59 pm CET (4:29 am IST, 26 October). Read our full Resilience Fund 2026 guide for eligibility, the FCRA question and how to apply.

4. HLL Lifecare: social-health partner empanelment

HLL Lifecare Limited has invited NGOs, startups and civil-society organisations to apply for empanelment as partners for social-health initiatives across India. The official tender reference is HLL/CHO/SHI/2026-27/01.

Listed cutoff passed: The official HLL page and its dated amendment show 12 October 2026 at 3 pm IST. Do not treat this EOI as currently open on the basis of this article. Read any newer official amendments before considering a submission.

This opportunity is empanelment rather than a guaranteed cash grant. Selection as a potential partner should not be treated as a funding sanction or a promise to finance a proposed project.

Download HLL’s official EOI and amendments.

5. SBI Foundation: NGO Capacity Building Programme (RFP for training partners)

This is not money to train your own NGO: SBI Foundation is selecting experienced organisations to design and run capacity-building programmes for its partner NGOs for 1–2 years. Deadline: SBIF RFP document and website listing: 4 November 2026; no closing time published. Checked 30 Oct 2026. Our advice: apply early, as no closing time is given. The window for questions to SBIF (before 24 October 2026) has now passed. Read our full SBI Foundation capacity building RFP guide for eligibility, documents and how to bid.

View the SBI Foundation Capacity Building funding-directory entry.

6. Madhya Pradesh Directorate of Culture: grants for cultural NGOs, 2026-27

This call has closed. Applications for the Directorate of Culture’s NGO grant (अनुदान) for 2026-27 had to reach its Bhopal office by 30 October 2026, within office hours (the notice gives no clock time). We keep this section as a record of what the call asked for. Check the Directorate’s notices page for any extension or the next year’s call. For calls that are open now, see our funding opportunities page.

Short answer: Registered cultural organisations in Madhya Pradesh active for at least three years could apply for a 2026-27 grant from the Directorate of Culture (संस्कृति संचालनालय). The application was on paper and had to reach the Directorate’s office in Bhopal by 30 October 2026, within office hours. The rules said applications received after the date would not be considered.

What the grant covers. The notice runs under the मध्यप्रदेश अशासकीय संस्था अनुदान नियम, 2024. There are three kinds of grant:

The notice does not publish any rupee ceiling, so plan on paying at least 10% yourself and do not assume a particular amount. A grant is not a right, and one grant gives no basis for future grants.

Who can apply

• Non-government organisations registered under the MP Societies Registration Act, 1973, working in Madhya Pradesh and active in art, culture or literature. Rule 5 requires a society or trust running the institution to be registered under the MP Societies Registration Act, 1973 or other relevant law; the 2026-27 notice invites societies registered under that Act.
• In existence for at least three years and continuously active for the three years before the year of application.
• Not eligible: organisations with government officers or employees on their executive body; grants for caste, communal or religious events. Grant money cannot be spent on felicitation, shawls, mementos and similar items.
• Organisations outside Madhya Pradesh are not eligible.

Documents to attach (from the official checklist)

• Registration certificate under the MP Societies Act, and registered bye-laws/constitution
• Latest certificate of validity under Section 28, and latest list of executive members under Section 27
• PAN
• Original bank account verification certificate in the prescribed format, with the bank’s seal
• Passbook first page and a cancelled cheque
• Activities of the last 3 years, with proof
• Grants received from the Directorate in the last 3 years and, if any, CA-certified utilisation certificates for them
• Brief description of the proposed programme
• Audited accounts of the last three years
• The filled checklist (जांच सूची) itself

Three rules that cause rejections

1. No checklist, no application. If the fully filled checklist is not attached, the application is treated as rejected (Rule 9(4)).
2. Self-attest everything. Every record must be self-attested (Rule 9(4)).
3. No second chances. After submission you cannot add a document or correct anything (Rule 9(7)). Check the file twice before it leaves your office.

Where to send it (exactly as in the notice)

संचालक, संस्कृति संचालनालय, 1-शिवाजी नगर, प्रथम तल, गैस राहत भवन, भोपाल-462016 (रेडक्रास अस्पताल के पीछे)
(Director, Directorate of Culture, 1-Shivaji Nagar, First Floor, Gas Rahat Bhawan, Bhopal-462016, behind Red Cross Hospital.)

The notice says the application is to be “sent/submitted” (भेजा/प्रस्तुत) to this address; it does not name a delivery method. Applications had to arrive within office hours on or before 30 October 2026. That date has passed.

For next year: the bank verification certificate needs the bank’s seal on the Directorate’s own format – that is the item most likely to take time, so start with it early.

Sources checked 31 October 2026, no extension found: Directorate of Culture, MP – notices page and the official notice, rules and forms (PDF, Hindi, 14 pages). Deadline: notice p.1; grant limits: pp.6-7; eligibility: pp.2-4; checklist: p.14. Submitting an application does not guarantee a grant; the Directorate decides.

Writing the programme description and budget? Our NGO Project Proposal & Budget Templates give you a starting format. If you have had Directorate grants before, the NGO Grant Reporting & Utilisation Pack helps you organise utilisation records before your CA certifies them. These help with preparation only; the Directorate decides on grants.

Not tied to an October deadline, but open on a rolling basis: the MIB community radio grant 2026-31 for licensed community radio stations.

How to decide which call deserves your time

Start with location and project fit. Then compare the funder’s organisational-age, leadership and financial conditions with your records. Only after these checks should you prepare a detailed proposal and budget. A large advertised amount does not make an unsuitable call worth pursuing.

Use our NGO grant application checklist to organise the submission and the funding documents checklist to identify missing records. Follow the individual funder’s requirements where they differ.

Are these all government grants?

No. The roundup includes a corporate foundation’s programme, international philanthropic grants and a government-enterprise partnership EOI. These have different application and compliance requirements. See our guide to government grants versus CSR funding for the broader distinction.

Where should readers check for changes?

The funder’s official notice and application portal control the deadline and eligibility. Use the funding tracker to compare routes and their verification dates, and the NGOGrant Blog for articles explaining individual calls and monthly roundups.

Need help organising your proposal? Contact NGOGrant on WhatsApp. NGOGrant is an independent information and assistance platform. Decisions remain with the funder; assistance does not guarantee selection.

Editorial update: Funding notices and deadline changes rechecked on 15 October 2026. SBI Foundation Gram Seva entry rechecked against the official RFP on 20 October 2026. SBI Foundation NGO Capacity Building RFP added 20 October 2026 after review of the official RFP. Madhya Pradesh Directorate of Culture NGO grant 2026-27 added 20 October 2026 after review of the official notice, and marked closed after its 30 October 2026 last date (notice last checked by us 31 October 2026, no extension found). Commonwealth Foundation’s inconsistent cutoff hours remain flagged. Official amendments take priority. Read our Editorial, Source & Corrections Policy.