The questions asked in the first section of the Full Application are meant to give our vetting team insight into your organization’s mission and structure.
In this article, we highlight each of the questions we ask in this section of the full application, why we ask them, address any common concerns around each question and (where relevant) provide you with resources/examples to help answer the question.
There are multiple questions that applicants already answered in the Expression of Interest (EOI) stage. You will not be required to answer these again but you are encouraged to update your responses based on feedback that you received on your EOI. All of the questions from the EOI will be written in green below, in case you wish to review the guidance again.
Note: If you represent a Farmer Producer Company, you have to answer specific additional questions, which are clearly marked in the application.
If you have any further questions, you can add them below as a comment or submit them here, and our support team will try to address it.
Questions for Non-Profit Organizations
Questions for For-Profit Organizations
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- Organization Type.
- Indicate if your organization is a farmer-producer company (FPC).
- Proof of registration.
- Date of Incorporation of your organization.
- Organization mission and vision
- List the stakeholders owning more than 10% stake in your company
- How many member are there on the company board?
- List the members of your company’s board
- For FPC: Number of farmer members on your FPC’s board
- List the core team member that support your business interventions.
- Describe institutional, Technical, and community mobilization skills of your staff
- Employee Demographics
- For Farmer Producer Companies: If your FPC is supported by any promoting organization/research institute, please indicate name of organization and duration of association
- For Farmer Producer Companies: In addition to their salaries, do members of the board of directors devote their time to the company without any other interest or honorarium?
- For Farmer Producer Companies: Do members of the board of director take self-initiative in community mobilization, resolve community issues, or play a role in day-to-day business
Questions for Non-Profit Organizations
Q: What is your organization's state and district of registration?*
Why we ask this question:
Your organization has to be legally registered in the area in which you are proposing to do restoration work.
What if my organization is registered in multiple locations? If your organization is legally registered in more than 1 location, please indicate this as well. It only critical to prove legal registration for the purposes of this application.
If an organization is headquartered outside of India but operates in a target state, are they eligible? If the organization has a local chapter legally registered in one of the target countries and has already been doing work in the country, it is eligible. Companies and organizations based outside of India will also need to prove that their projects rely on the expertise and leadership of local Indian communities.
A project or business operates inside and outside of the target landscapes. Would this project qualify? Please tailor your application to cover work that will be conducted exclusively within one of the three landscapes. More information can be found here about eligible areas.
Q: Upload your certificate of registration*
Why we ask this question:
In order for us to be certain of your registration status, you have to share evidence of registration.
How do I show proof of registration?
To show proof of registration, you must upload a valid legal document showing that your organization has been registered to operate within a state/district. This document should state the type of organization registered and this should match the type of organization applying through the Expression of Interest.
Q: Upload your registration documents*
Why we ask this question:
In order for us to be certain that you are eligible for this funding opportunity, our team must be able to verify that you are a registered non-profit organization.
What documents will I need to submit?
| Registration Type |
Description |
| Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) Certificate or Renewed FCRA Certificate | Charitable Trusts, Societies, Section 8 Companies that receive foreign contribution or donation from foreign sources are required to obtain registration under Section 6(1) of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 2010. Such a registration under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 2010 is called an FCRA registration. |
| Form 12A | Section 12A enables non-profit entities such as Charitable Trusts, Non-Profit Organisations, Welfare Societies, Religious Institutions, etc. to claim full tax exemption as per Section 11 and 12 of the Income Tax Act, 1961. |
| Form 80 G | An 80G certification is a document issued by the Income Tax Department to not-for-profit organisations, allowing their donors to avail of tax deductions on donations. |
| Permanent Account Number (PAN) | A Permanent Account Number (PAN) is a ten-digit unique alphanumeric number issued by the Income Tax Department. The PAN number is used to identify the NGO and track its financial transactions and also allows the NGO to avail itself of certain tax exemptions. |
| Tax Deduction/Collection Account Number (TAN) | A Tax Deduction Account Number or Tax Collection Account Number is a ten-digit alpha-numeric number issued by the Income Tax Department. TAN is to be obtained by all entities who are responsible for deducting tax at source (TDS) or who are required to collect tax at source (TCS). |
Q: Organization's mission and vision*
Why we ask this question:
This question allows you to tell us how your organization operates and why.
How do I write my organization's mission?
A well-written and professional description of the organization is one that summarizes its mission, vision, and values and clearly defines ongoing initiatives and impacts in the restoration sector. This can be your organization's standard summary of its activities.
Q: List your organization's board members*
Why we ask this question:
Listing your organization's board members provides transparency and accountability to stakeholders, such as donors, volunteers, and members of the community. It can also help demonstrate the qualifications and expertise of the board members and give the vetting team insight into who is responsible for guiding your organization.
How should we submit our board member information? For non-profits, board members are the people who make decisions for the organization. We require that you submit the name, title, age, and gender of each member. This is submitted through a structured table within TerraMatch.
Q: Please outline the depth of the institutional, technical and community mobilization skills of your full-time staff.*
Why we ask this question:
Through this question, we intend to understand the existing capacities of organization members with respect to operationalizing restoration work on the ground. It will be helpful to determine if the organization requires capacity-building support or expertise in a specific area of work.
What do we expect? Describe the skills that your full-time staff have accrued throughout your experience restoring land, e.g., project management, technical assistance and capacity building, extension support, project monitoring. Explain how you use those skills to manage projects effectively.
Q: How many full-time workers does your organization currently employ?*
Why we ask this question:
This question helps us to understand the size of your organization and its capacity to implement and manage projects. It is important for us to know the number of employees your organization has in order to assess your ability to execute the proposed project.
What is a full-time employee? Full-time employees are individuals who work for your organization and are paid employees working 40 hours per week for the entire year. These employees are essential to your organization's daily operations and play an important role in implementing projects. It is important to note that volunteers or project beneficiaries should not be included in the total number of full-time employees.
Q: How many part-time workers does your organization currently employ?*
Why we ask this question:
We are interested in understanding the number of part-time workers employed by your organization to get a clearer picture of your organization's workforce and labor practices.
What is a part-time employee? Part-time employees are individuals who work for your organization on a part-time basis. These employees may work throughout the year but for less than 30 hours per week, or they may work only during certain seasons of the year and work any number of hours. They are sometimes referred to as "part-time," "seasonal," or "temporary" workers. Please do not include volunteers or other project beneficiaries in this total.
Q: How many women does your organization currently employ?*
Why we ask this question:
We ask this question to gather information on the gender diversity within your organization's workforce.
How do I calculate the number of women employed at my organization? To answer this question, please indicate the total number of women employed by your organization, including both part-time and full-time employees. Please note that volunteers or project beneficiaries should not be included in this count.
How do we count other genders if employees do not identify as men or women? If your organization employs any individuals who do not identify as either women or men, please include them in this tally. Please note that volunteers or project beneficiaries should not be included in this count.
Q: How many of your current employees identify as Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe/Other Backward Class?*
Why we ask this question:
Knowing the social background representation of employees can help us understand how your organization contributes to the employment of different social groups in the community. This information can help us assess the diversity of your workforce and determine whether your organization provides equal opportunities to different social groups.
What do we expect? Indicate how many of your organization’s employees, both part-time and full-time, identify as Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe/Other Backward Class. Do not include volunteers or other project beneficiaries in this total.
How do we define Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Class?
Scheduled Castes: As per Article 366 (24) of Constitution of India the Scheduled Castes are defined as, “Such castes, races or tribes or part of or groups within such castes, races or tribes as are deemed under Article 341 to be Scheduled Castes for the purpose of this [Indian] constitution.”
Scheduled Tribes: As per Article 366 (25) of Constitution of India the Scheduled Tribes are defined as, “Such tribes or tribal communities or part of or groups within such tribes or tribal communities as are deemed under Article 342 to the Scheduled Tribes for the purposes of this [Indian] Constitution.”
Other Backward Classes: This is a collective term used by the Government of India to classify castes which are educationally or socially backward.
Questions for For-Profit Organizations
Q: What is your organization type?*
Why we ask this question:
Understanding your organization type will be necessary in order to properly assess your financials and business model.
Please select on of the following categories: Private Limited, LLP, Registered Partnership, Sole Proprietorship, Other.
Q: If you selected "other" above, explain your current organization type.
Please explain the legal status of the enterprise. Please note, Harit Bharat Fund finances only duly registered entities.
Q: Upload your registration information*
Why we ask this question:
Your organization has to be legally registered in the area in which you are proposing to do restoration work. In order for us to be certain that you are eligible for this funding opportunity, our team must be able to verify that you are a registered for-profit organization.
What information will I need to submit?
| Registration Type |
Description |
| Corporate Identification Number (CIN)?* | The Corporate Identification Number (CIN) is a 21 digit alpha-numeric code issued to companies incorporated and registered by the Registrar of Companies (ROC) situated in different states across India under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA). |
| DPIIT start-up registration number |
To access tax benefits and easier compliance, companies must be recognized as start-ups by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Startup India initiative. This is only required for officially recognized start-ups. NOTE: An entity shall cease to be a start-up on the completion of ten years from the date of its incorporation/registration or if the turnover of the entity for any of the financial years since incorporation/registration exceeds 100 crore INR. Turnover is as defined under the Indian Companies Act, 2013. |
| Certificate of Startup Recognition |
If you organization is registered as a start-up, please provide the certificate to indicate that your organization is a officially registered entity |
If an organization is headquartered outside of India but operates in a target state, are they eligible? If the organization has a local chapter legally registered in one of the target countries and has already been doing work in the country, it is eligible. Companies and organizations based outside of India will also need to prove that their projects rely on the expertise and leadership of local Indian communities.
A project or business operates inside and outside of the target landscapes. Would this project qualify? Please tailor your application to cover work that will be conducted exclusively within one of the three states. More information can be found here about eligible areas.
Q: Is your organization a farmer-producer company (FPC)?*
Why we ask this question:
This question allows you to tell us to understand the structure of your organization and how it operates.
How are we defining a farmer-producer company (FPC)? A Farmer Producer Company (FPC) can be formed by any 10 or more primary producers or by two or more producer institutions, or by a contribution of both. An FPC is a hybrid between cooperative societies and private limited companies. The Farmer Producer Companies, registered under the Indian Companies Act, 2013, have democratic governance, each producer or member has equal voting rights irrespective of the number of shares held
Q: Date of incorporation for your organization*
This is the date your organization was founded, as recorded on your registration documentation.
Q: Organization's Mission and Vision*
Why we ask this question:
This question allows you to tell us how your organization operates and why.
How do I write my organization's mission? A well-written and professional description of the organization is one that summarizes its mission, vision, and values and clearly defines ongoing initiatives and impacts in the restoration sector. This can be your organization's standard summary of its activities.
Q: List the people who have an ownership stake in your company*
Why we ask this question:
Listing the people who have an ownership stake in your company clarifies the ownership structure of the company and give our vetting team insight into who has a say in the company's decision-making.
How should I submit our ownership information? You should list all people who own more than 10% of the business. This must be submitted through uploading an Excel (.xlsx, .csv) document.
What information should I submit for each of these individuals? Please provide the Name, Gender, Age, Title, Email, Contact Phone Number, and Marginalized status (SC/ST/OBC/others etc.) for each individual.
Q: How many members are there on the company board?*
Why we ask this question:
Providing information about your organization's board members provides transparency and accountability to stakeholders, such as donors, volunteers, and members of the community. It can also help demonstrate the qualifications and expertise of the board members and give the vetting team insight into who is responsible for guiding your organization.
How should we submit our board information? We require that you submit the name, title, age, and gender of each member of your board of directors. This is submitted through a structured table within TerraMatch.
Q: How many of the board members are women?*
Why we ask this question:
We ask this question to gather information on the gender diversity within your organization's workforce.
Please indicate how many of the board members identify as women.
Q: List the members of your company’s board.*
Why we ask this question:
Listing your organization's board members provides transparency and accountability to stakeholders, such as donors, volunteers, and members of the community. It can also helps demonstrate the qualifications and expertise of the board members and give the public insight into the diversity on a board. First, enterprises should make a conscious effort to recruit women and members of marginalized communities to serve on their boards. Second, enterprises should provide training and development opportunities to board members from these groups, so that they can gain the skills and knowledge they need to be effective leaders.
How should we submit our board member information? Board members are the people who make decisions for the organization. We require that you submit the name, title, age, and gender of each member.
Q: For Farmer Producer Companies: How many farmer members are there on your FPC’s board?
Why we ask this question:
Knowing the number of farmer members on an FPC's board is important to ensure better representation and returns for the producers through an organization of their own. Small producers do not have the volume individually (both inputs and produce) to get the benefit of economies of scale. Therefore, they organize into farmer producer organizations and register as Farmer Producer Companies.
What do we expect from you? We expect you to share your fair response to this question by sharing the correct number of farmers members in your FPC’s board.
Q: List of the core team members (at least 3) that support your business interventions*
Why we ask this question:
Listing the people who have a lead role in your company clarifies the structure and expertise of the company.
How should we submit our core team members? Please indicate the key team members who manage your core company functions, e.g., Project Management. Research and Development (R&D), Sales and Marketing, Chief Technical Officer (CTO), Monitoring Expert etc.
What information should I submit for each of these individuals? We require that you submit the name, title, age, and gender of each of these core staff members. Add as many people as you think are relevant. It is helpful for our vetting staff to see as many key personnel from your organization as possible. This is submitted through a structured table within TerraMatch.
Q: Please outline the depth of the institutional, technical and community mobilization skills of your full-time staff.*
Why we ask this question:
Through this question, we intend to understand the existing capacities of organization members with respect to operationalizing restoration work on the ground. It will be helpful to determine if the organization requires capacity-building support or expertise in a specific area of work.
What do we expect? Describe the skills that your full-time staff have accrued throughout your experience restoring land, e.g., project management, technical assistance and capacity building, extension support, project monitoring. Explain how you use those skills to manage projects effectively.
Q: How many full-time workers does your organization currently employ?*
Why we ask this question:
This question helps us to understand the size of your organization and its capacity to implement and manage projects. It is important for us to know the number of employees your organization has in order to assess your ability to execute the proposed project.
What is a full-time employee? Full-time employees are individuals who work for your organization and are paid employees working 40 hours per week for the entire year. These employees are essential to your organization's daily operations and play an important role in implementing projects. It is important to note that volunteers or project beneficiaries should not be included in the total number of full-time employees.
Q: How many part-time workers does your organization currently employ?*
Why we ask this question:
We are interested in understanding the number of part-time workers employed by your organization to get a clearer picture of your organization's workforce and labor practices.
What is a part-time employee? Part-time employees are individuals who work for your organization on a part-time basis. These employees may work throughout the year but for less than 30 hours per week, or they may work only during certain seasons of the year and work any number of hours. They are sometimes referred to as "part-time," "seasonal," or "temporary" workers. Please do not include volunteers or other project beneficiaries in this total.
Q: How many women does your organization currently employ?*
Why we ask this question:
We ask this question to gather information on the gender diversity within your organization's workforce.
How do I calculate the number of women employed at my organization? To answer this question, please indicate the total number of women employed by your organization, including both part-time and full-time employees. Please note that volunteers or project beneficiaries should not be included in this count.
How do we count other genders if employees do not identify as men or women? If your organization employs any individuals who do not identify as either women or men, please include them in this tally. Please note that volunteers or project beneficiaries should not be included in this count.
Q: How many men does your organization currently employ?*
Why we ask this question:
We ask this question to gather information on the gender diversity within your organization's workforce.
How do I calculate the number of men employed at my organization? To answer this question, please indicate the total number of men employed by your organization, including both part-time and full-time employees. Please note that volunteers or project beneficiaries should not be included in this count.
Q: How many of your current employees identify as Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe/Other Backward Class?*
Why we ask this question:
Knowing the social background representation of employees can help us understand how your organization contributes to the employment of different social groups in the community. This information can help us assess the diversity of your workforce and determine whether your organization provides equal opportunities to different social groups.
What do we expect? Indicate how many of your organization’s employees, both part-time and full-time, identify as Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe/Other Backward Class. Do not include volunteers or other project beneficiaries in this total.
How do we define Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Class?
Scheduled Castes: As per Article 366 (24) of Constitution of India the Scheduled Castes are defined as, “Such castes, races or tribes or part of or groups within such castes, races or tribes as are deemed under Article 341 to be Scheduled Castes for the purpose of this [Indian] constitution.”
Scheduled Tribes: As per Article 366 (25) of Constitution of India the Scheduled Tribes are defined as, “Such tribes or tribal communities or part of or groups within such tribes or tribal communities as are deemed under Article 342 to the Scheduled Tribes for the purposes of this [Indian] Constitution.”
Other Backward Classes: This is a collective term used by the Government of India to classify castes which are educationally or socially backward.
Q: How many people between the ages of 15 and 29 does your organization currently employ?*
Why we ask this question:
Knowing the age range of employees can help us understand how your organization contributes to the employment of different age groups in the community. This information can help us assess the diversity of your workforce and determine whether your organization provides equal opportunities to different age groups.
How do I calculate this? This question asks for the number of employees, both part-time and full-time, who are between the ages of 15 and 29. Please exclude volunteers or other project beneficiaries in this total.
Q: How many people over the age of 29 does your organization currently employ?*
Why we ask this question:
Knowing the age range of employees can help us understand how your organization contributes to the employment of different age groups in the community. This information can help us assess the diversity of your workforce and determine whether your organization provides equal opportunities to different age groups.
How do I calculate this? This question asks for the number of employees, both part-time and full-time, who are 30 years of age and older. Please exclude volunteers or other project beneficiaries in this total.
Q: For Farmer Producer Companies Only: If your FPC is supported by any promoting organization / research institute, specify the name of the organization and the duration of association.
What do we expect from you? Please provide the names of the relevant organisations, institutes etc. as this will help us understand your key partners, stakeholders and how the relationship has helped the FPC grow. You should also include their role in funding your FPC, if applicable.
Q: For Farmer Producer Companies: In addition to their salaries, do members of the board of directors (BoDs) devote their time to the company without any other interest or without taking any honorarium?
Why we ask this question:
This information is important, as the BoD can contribute to ensuring that the company meets its objectives and benefits its members. This helps it achieve its business goals through day-to-day involvement in important decisions.
What do we expect from you? Provide the relevant information based upon the clear set of actions which the board of your FPC completes. The below list is indicative of the roles that BoDs can play:
- Set clear goals and objectives for the company.
- Develop a strategic plan to achieve these goals.
- Oversee the day-to-day operations of the company.
- Ensure that the company is financially sound.
- Communicate effectively with the company's members.
- Hold the company's management accountable.
Q: For Farmer Producer Companies: Do members of the board of directors take self-initiative in community mobilization, share money collection, resolve community issues, or otherwise play an active role in day-to-day business?
What do we expect from you? Indicate the level of effort BoDs take in your daily operations as this provides the accountability status of the board members in actively managing the day-to-day affairs of the FPC to manage it well. Provide the relevant information based upon the clear set of actions which the board of your FPC completes for:
- Community Mobilization
- Share Money Collection
- Resolve Community Issues
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