About the Award

The India NGO Award is a new initiative launched in India this year, aimed at advancing the country's non-profit sector by promoting financial and organisational stability, and strengthening community support of civil society.

The non-profit sector in India suffers from low credibility and a lack of transparency. High standards of accounting and reporting are not widely known by the sector, the donor community or the general public. Examples of successful resource mobilisation initiatives are also rarely seen. As a result, few non-profits venture into the field of local fundraising and donors are slow to support such initiatives.

The India NGO Award seeks to address these issues in a number of ways, including:

• Setting and promoting good standards and practices in resource mobilisation, accountability and transparency
  
  
• Celebrating success and rewarding excellence in the non-profit sector, and identifying and strengthening successful resource mobilisation practices
  
  
• Creating examples and inspiration for other non-profits and promoting cross-regional learning
  
  
• Raising the visibility of local resource mobilisation initiatives and providing increased support for the sector
  
  
• Promoting the overall credibility of the non-profit sector for long-term sustainability

NGOs from all over India will be invited to enter the competition. The entries received will be divided into four regions - North, South, East and West. Two finalists will be selected from each region and invited to the final Award ceremony in Delhi, where the final four national winners will be announced and will receive their awards.

The 1st prize winner will receive the title of NGO of the Year, and will be presented with a trophy and a cash prize of US$ 20,000. The 2nd prize winner will receive a trophy and a cash prize of US$ 10,000 and the two 3rd Prize winners will each receive a trophy and a cash prize of US$ 5,000.

After the Award, profiles of the national and regional finalists and other success stories will be published in a casebook, which will be distributed across the country.

Eligibility

All non-government organisations (NGOs) and non-profit organisations are welcome to enter except those that are primarily involved in political activities or promoting religious doctrine.

Organisations will be evaluated on:

• The delivery of quality services to its beneficiaries
• The demonstration of efficient management of resources, transparency and accountability
• The effective mobilisation of resources (financial and non-financial) from the local community
• Exhibiting capability for financial management
  

Judging

All entries will be initially reviewed on a regional level by assessors from the non-profit, academic and corporate sectors. Two regional finalists will be selected, and site visits will be made to each short-listed organisation prior to the final judging. The finalists will be assessed by an independent national judging panel, and the winners will be announced at the final Award ceremony. The organisers, including local partners, will not be involved in any stage of the assessment or judging.

All entries will be considered objectively and according to their relative merits. An organisation's size or history will not necessarily be an advantage.