FAQ

Non-Profits under the Fund

CAN NGOS APPLY FOR THE FUND?

The Fund is not calling for applications. Dasra will curate the portfolio by leveraging its existing network of NGO partners, and by existing networks and collectives that focus on small, community-based NGOs in India.

WHO ARE THE CO-FOUNDERS OF THE FUND?

Dasra will create a long list of NGOs from existing networks and collectives that focus on small, community-based NGOs. We will then apply our selection criteria to shortlist NGOs and present them to the Rebuild India Fund Investment Committee (IC), which will ultimately select NGOs in the portfolio.

The IC is a representative group of NGO leaders who will provide objective support and guidance in the assessment, selection and capacity building of the NGO portfolio of the Rebuild India Fund.

WHAT IS THE GENESIS OF THIS FUND? HOW DID TARSADIA AND DASRA COME TOGETHER TO CREATE THIS?

The Rebuild India Fund is a response to Covid’s long-term impact on India’s most vulnerable and marginalized communities. It is also a pre-emptive response to external shocks, like climate related disasters, that communities and frontline NGOs are likely to face in the near future.

At end of April 2021, Dasra launched its Covid relief campaign #BackTheFrontline to disburse quick and flexible relief funding to NGOs that were on the frontlines of India’s fight against Covid-19. Through conversations and feedback with the grantees of the relief phase of our campaign, we realised that although the pandemic’s harsh wave has passed us, its impact is still being felt by the millions of marginalized and vulnerable individuals who lost their families, livelihoods, access to education, and nutrition.

The support that NGOs provided to marginalized communities during the pandemic helped them survive, and reaffirmed the place civil society holds in achieving India’s development goals. Therefore, it is critical to help build resilient NGOs so that they can enable communities in becoming more resilient. With this shared objective, Dasra and the Tarsadia Foundation came together to form the Rebuild India Fund.

WHAT DOES THE FUND AIM TO ACHIEVE?

The Rebuild India Fund aspires to support grassroots organizations with flexible, long-term grants & capacity building support so that these organizations can become financially & structurally resilient, thereby rebuilding vulnerable communities. In the process, the Fund also aims to create a global platform for & network of philanthropists who are keen to support grassroots NGOs & proximate leaders.

WHAT ARE THE LONG-TERM GOALS OF THE FUND?

The Rebuild India Fund has identified 4 north-star goals:

Building financially & structurally resilient NGOs

Building resilient & shock-proof vulnerable communities

Greater exposure, visibility for lesser-known, community-rooted NGOs

Building an empathetic philanthropy ecosystem

HOW WILL NGOS BE SELECTED FOR THE FUND?

Dasra will create a long list of NGOs from existing networks and collectives that focus on small, community-based NGOs. We will then apply our selection criteria to shortlist NGOs and present them to the Rebuild India Fund Investment Committee (IC), which will ultimately select NGOs in the portfolio.
The IC is a representative group of NGO leaders who will provide objective support and guidance in the assessment, selection and capacity building of the NGO portfolio of the Rebuild India Fund.

WHAT IS THE NGO SELECTION CRITERIA UNDER THE FUND?

The selection criteria are as follows:
1) Eligibility Criteria: An NGO has to meet the below 2 criteria in order to be considered for selection:

The NGO should have all compliance certifications in place (80G, 12A, incorporation certificate, FCRA certification for FCRA orgs, etc.);

The average budget of last 3 years should be between INR 40 lakhs & INR 5 Cr. (~USD 54,000 & 675,000 or ~GBP 40,000 & 500,000)

2) Assessment & Ranking Criteria: NGOs will be scored on the below parameters and these scores will be a key factor in the selection process:

Proximate & Inclusive Leadership – NGOs that have leaders or Board members who have lived experiences of communities, and / or are representative of groups that are vulnerable or marginalized on the basis of caste, gender, religion, location and other factors

Community-centric Approach – NGOs that work directly with communities and where community voices are included in programs and interventions

Lesser-known NGO – NGOs that have limited / no exposure to funding networks

Vulnerabilities Addressed – NGOs that focus on remote & vulnerable groups

While the above assessment criteria will help in selection, final decisions will be made by the Investment Committee.

WHAT WILL BE THE GRANT AMOUNT AWARDED TO EACH NGO?

Each selected NGO will receive INR 50 lakhs (~USD 67,500 or ~GBP 50,000) equally staggered over 5 years, i.e., INR 10 lakhs (~USD 13,500 or ~GBP 10,000) per year.
Funding is pegged to INR, while USD & GBP figures may vary based on exchange rate fluctuations during the granting period.

Capacity Building (CB) under the Fund

WILL CB BE MANDATORY UNDER THE FUND?

The Rebuild India Fund will offer need-based capacity-building support. Beyond finance and compliance sessions during each cohort’s introductory workshop, none of the CB sessions will be mandatory.

WILL THE FUND PROVIDE 1-ON-1 CB SUPPORT TO NGOS?

The Rebuild India Fund will grow from 100 NGOs to 500 by 2027. Due to the size of the portfolio, our efforts will focus on building in cohorts of organizations and leaders, which will be facilitated by experts in respective fields.
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For example, as part of Dasra’s COVID relief campaign #BackTheFrontline – of which the Rebuild India Fund is a progression – Dasra invited 80+ NGOs to be a part of capacity-building sessions led by in-house and external experts in areas of storytelling and reporting, compliance, financial and programmatic resilience, and digital enablement.
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Dasra will facilitate connections with experts who can offer 1-on-1 CB to organizations looking for more hands-on support.

HOW WILL THE FUND DECIDE WHICH CAPABILITIES CB SESSIONS SHOULD FOCUS ON?

The Rebuild India Fund will undertake an assessment of the CB needs of each cohort and design sessions based on the same. These needs will be (re)assessed at regular intervals, and in a collaborative manner, to ensure that the support remains relevant and continues to address the needs of the organizations.

WHAT WILL THE TYPICAL CB JOURNEY OF A GRANTEE ORGANIZATION LOOK LIKE?

The Dasra team will have detailed conversations with grantee partners to understand their institutional health and intent to build capabilities and will help them articulate long-term plans around the same. Based on the needs of the cohort that is thus formed, cohort-style CB sessions will be organized in addition to annual portfolio gatherings and other knowledge-sharing opportunities.
In addition, NGOs will also be exposed to capacity-building services offered by experts from across the sector.

Funding the Rebuild India Fund

WHAT PART OF MY GRANT FOR NGOS WILL BE RESERVED FOR DASRA?

100% of your grant will go directly to the NGOs supported by the Fund. Dasra is separately raising grants to cover the cost of the fund.

HAS FUNDRAISING FOR REBUILD ALSO BEGUN?

The Rebuild India Fund has already raised over $20 million from funders like the Tarsadia Foundation, Target Foundation, Great Eastern Shipping, Westbridge Capital, among others.

DOES ONE HAVE TO COMMIT A MINIMUM AMOUNT TO BE A DONOR FOR THE FUND?

We encourage funders to commit enough to be able to support one NGO for 3-5 years (INR 30-50 lakhs / ~USD 40,000-67,500 / ~GBP 30,000-50,000).

IS THE FUND OPEN TO ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO CONTRIBUTE?

The Fund is open to all types of givers.

HOW WILL FUNDERS RECEIVE UPDATES ABOUT THE PROGRESS OF THE FUND & OF THEIR FUND UTILIZATION?

Dasra will provide half-yearly reports on the Fund’s aggregate performance. Large funders, supporting groups of NGOs within Rebuild across a five-year period will also receive customized reports with details on utilization of their funds and the impact created.

WHAT DOES A FUNDER STAND TO GAIN FROM THE FUND?

The Fund will introduce funders to lesser-known, smaller, community-rooted NGOs and allow funders to be a part of the growth journey of these non-profits. The Fund, therefore, gives funders the opportunity to support NGOs & NGO leaders with their expertise while also learning from them through 1:1 interactions (dependent on the quantum of giving). With an aim to deepen funder education & awareness, the Fund will also try to create an immersive experience for funders.

CAN THE FUNDER CHOOSE WHICH NGO HE/SHE WANTS TO GIVE TO?

This is a pooled fund; hence, we won’t be able to guarantee allocating a funder’s contribution to a particular NGO. However, we are happy to hear about the geographical preferences & focus areas of funders while allocating their funds to portfolio NGOs and facilitating personal connections with such NGOs, thereby finding synergies & cementing long-term relationships between funders and grantee NGOs that go beyond the Rebuild India Fund.

WILL FUNDERS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO INTERACT WITH THE NGOS DIRECTLY?

The Fund will curate several opportunities annually for funders & NGOs to interact with one another through roundtables, multi-stakeholder sector consultations, virtual & in-person seminars, and site visits. Anchor funders will also get opportunities for one-on-one interactions with NGOs & their leaders/staff through site visits & regular check-ins/conversations.

Finance & Compliance

WILL ALL FUNDERS RECEIVE A RECEIPT FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS?

Rebuild India Fund

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