NGO & Civil Society Innovation Award
Recognises non-profit organisations, civil society institutions, and social enterprises that have designed and implemented innovative education programmes resulting in measurable improvements in learning, access, equity, inclusion, teacher development, or education system strengthening. The award celebrates organisations that have demonstrated innovation, evidence-based impact, and the potential for sustainable scale.
Eligibility Criteria
Organisations applying for the award must meet the following eligibility requirements.
Eligible Entities
Registered NGOs, Section 8 companies, trusts, societies, education-focused social enterprises, research and implementation organisations, corporate foundation implementation partners, and education networks with a minimum of three years of legal registration.
Programme Maturity
The nominated programme must have completed at least one full academic cycle (minimum 12 months) of implementation at the time of nomination.
Reach Threshold
The programme should have directly benefited a minimum of learners, teachers, schools, or community members during the reporting period. Promising pilot initiatives demonstrating strong evidence of innovation and early impact may be considered at the Jury's discretion.
Geography
Interventions must be implemented in India. International organisations may apply only with India-specific implementation, data, and outcomes.
Financial Disclosure
Nominees must disclose the annual programme budget for classification purposes only.This is used for peer benchmarking during jury review and is not a bar to entry.
Small: Up to ₹50 lakh
Medium: ₹50 lakh – ₹2 crore
Large: Above ₹2 crore
Nomination Route
Self-nominations and third-party nominations (by donors, CSR partners, government bodies, or education networks) are both accepted.
Exclusions
Organisations engaged solely in research, policy advocacy, grant-making, or consulting without direct programme implementation; entities under active regulatory, financial, or legal investigation; and applications lacking credible evidence of programme outcomes.
Evaluation Criteria
Every nomination is independently reviewed by the jury using the weighted evaluation framework below.
Demonstrated Improvement
Improvement in Foundational Literacy & Numeracy (FLN) outcomes based on baseline, midline and endline evidence.
Innovation
Innovation in pedagogy, curriculum design, implementation strategy or delivery model.
Evidence & Data Quality
Strength, credibility and rigour of evidence supporting programme outcomes and measurable impact.
Scalability
Potential for replication across different geographies, ecosystems and educational contexts.
Sustainability
Financial, institutional and community sustainability of the intervention over the long term.