German Consulate Kolkata Small Projects
By German Consulate General Kolkata
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Quick Answer
Project funding of about EUR 15,000 to 20,000 (about ₹16.35 lakh to ₹21.8 lakh) for FCRA-registered NGOs in West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and the north-eastern states.
- Funding amount
- ₹16.35L – ₹21.8L
- Funding type
- Grant
- Provider
- German Consulate General Kolkata
- Application deadline
- Rolling
About this grant
The German Consulate General in Kolkata runs a Small Scale Projects programme, funded by Germany's Federal Foreign Office, for NGOs working in eastern and north-eastern India. Each project can ask for roughly EUR 15,000 to 20,000 (about ₹16.35 lakh to ₹21.8 lakh). The official page is a standing programme page: it lists the conditions, the documents and the application form, and it does not print a closing date.
What the program offers
The Consulate says requested funding should come to approximately EUR 15,000 to 20,000 per project, which is about ₹16.35 lakh to ₹21.8 lakh at the conversion used on this site. The money pays for one distinct project that lasts about six months and is fully completed before 31 December of the calendar year.
The programme follows the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, with a clear focus on "helping people to help themselves" and on a lasting improvement in living conditions. Preference generally goes to education, vocational training, income generation, energy supply and protection of the environment, and projects that promote gender equality get particular consideration.
Some costs are never funded: food and refreshments, overheads (administration, permanent staff, office equipment such as computers, printers and televisions), land purchase, unskilled labour, scholarships and lump sums.
Who can apply
The applicant must be an organisation registered under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), and the project must be located in the Consulate's area: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Tripura or West Bengal.
The project has to be a full project in itself and not a slice of a bigger one, and it must not have started. It has to support the least privileged members of society and promote gender equality, and the people who benefit should be actively involved. Your organisation must put in an appropriate amount of its own money, and your organisation and the local population must also contribute work and overheads such as administration, travel and transport. You must be able to cover any follow-up costs once the project ends.
The Consulate cannot support a project that is co-sponsored by an organisation receiving money from the German Federal Budget; it names the European Union and the United Nations as examples.
This suits FCRA-registered NGOs, trusts and societies in the eleven states with a small, concrete, equipment-or-activity style project and some money of their own. It does not suit startups, companies, individuals, organisations without FCRA registration, or anyone looking for salary or running-cost support.
How to apply
- Download the application form and the data protection declaration from the Consulate's Small Scale Projects page.
- Fill in the form: applicant and bank details, the objective, the planned measures with a timeline, the project location, the total cost and the amount you are asking for in local currency and in euro, your own resources and any third-party funding.
- Prepare a detailed financing plan. If you plan to buy a product or service, collect three written competitive quotations as proper GST proforma invoices.
- Gather the supporting papers: the list of authorised signatories and the authorisation certificate for the two signatories, photos of the current situation, annual financial statements, annual reports and auditor's reports for the last two years, proof of own funds for the last two years, registration documents, proof of FCRA registration, the statute, an organisational chart and credentials from other funders if you have them.
- Send the application in PDF format to the email address given on the Consulate's page.
A practical tip: the two years of audited accounts, the proof of own funds and the three quotations take the longest to assemble, so start with those.
How applications are judged and what happens next
The page does not publish scoring criteria or a timetable. It says that funds are limited, so not every project can be considered, and that only the selected project partners will be contacted. The Consulate does not send acknowledgements of receipt or rejection notices. The application form states that applying does not create any right to funding, and that costs incurred before the award document takes legal effect are generally not reimbursed.
About the German Consulate General in Kolkata
The Consulate General in Kolkata is one of the German missions in India. Its Small Scale Projects programme is paid for by the Federal Foreign Office and is aimed at the needs of underprivileged parts of society in the eleven states it covers. The German missions in Bengaluru and other cities run their own programmes for their own areas.
Things to check before you apply
- No deadline is printed on the page. Because every project must be completed by 31 December and takes about six months, an application sent late in a year is unlikely to fit that year. A practical tip: ask the Consulate about the current funding window before you prepare the full file.
- FCRA registration is mandatory. Check FCRA, FEMA and tax treatment with an adviser before applying.
- You must bring your own money and local contributions; this is not full funding.
- Overheads, staff salaries, office equipment, land, food and scholarships are excluded.
- You will hear back only if your project is selected.
Eligibility
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Grant providers
Benefits & Funding
- Amount
- ₹16.35L – ₹21.8L
- Fund type
- Grant
What You Get
Selected NGOs receive project funding of approximately EUR 15,000 to 20,000 (about ₹16.35 lakh to ₹21.8 lakh) for one distinct project of about six months, completed before 31 December. Food, overheads, permanent staff, office equipment, land purchase, unskilled labour, scholarships and lump sums are not funded.
- Duration
- 6 months
- Bootstrap friendly
- Yes
Timelines & Process
Applications
Rolling basis
Selection Process
The Consulate reviews applications against its conditions and available funds. It states that not every project can be considered, that only selected project partners are contacted, and that it does not send acknowledgements or rejection notices. No scoring criteria or timetable are published.
Application Process
- 1
Prepare the file
Fill in the application form and collect the financing plan, quotations and organisation documents.
You - 2
- 3
- 4
How to apply
Four steps from draft to disbursement — one action each.
- 1
Draft your application
Answer the form inside the grant tracker — AI drafts each response using your past answers, so you're not starting from a blank page.
- 2
Submit on the official portal
Use the official application link and verify all details before final submission.
- 3
Follow up
Reach out 5–7 days after submitting to confirm receipt and ask about the review timeline.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can apply for the German Consulate Kolkata Small Scale Projects programme?
Organisations registered under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) can apply. The project has to be in one of the eleven states the Consulate covers, support the least privileged members of society and promote gender equality.
Which states does the German Consulate Kolkata programme cover?
The page lists Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Tripura and West Bengal. The project location has to be inside this area. Projects elsewhere in India are outside this Consulate's programme.
Can an Indian startup or company apply?
The programme is written for registered organisations with FCRA registration, and the documents it asks for are NGO documents such as registration under the Societies Registration Act and a statute. A startup or a for-profit company does not fit these conditions. The page does not describe any route for individuals either.
How much funding does the German Consulate in Kolkata give?
The page says requested funding should amount to approximately EUR 15,000 to 20,000 for each project, which is about ₹16.35 lakh to ₹21.8 lakh. Your organisation must add an appropriate amount of its own money to the total project cost.
What is the deadline?
The official page does not print a deadline. It does say the project takes about six months and must be fully completed before 31 December of the calendar year, so timing matters. Ask the Consulate about the current funding window before you send a full application.
Is this a grant, a loan or equity?
It is project funding from Germany's Federal Foreign Office; the application form refers to a grant award document or allocation agreement. The page mentions no repayment and no equity. The form also says that applying creates no right to funding.
What costs are not funded?
The Consulate does not fund food or refreshments, overhead costs such as administration, permanent staff and office equipment, land purchase, unskilled labour, scholarships or lump sums. The applicant and the local population are expected to cover overheads such as administration, travel and transport themselves.
What documents do I need?
You need the completed application form, a detailed financing plan, the list of authorised signatories with an authorisation certificate for the two signatories, photos of the current situation, two years of annual financial statements, annual reports and auditor's reports, two years of proof of own funds, registration and FCRA documents, the statute and an organisational chart. For any purchase you also need three written competitive quotations as GST proforma invoices.
Can a project that has already started be funded?
No. The conditions say the project has not started yet and must be a distinct, full project and not part of a bigger one. The application form adds that spending incurred before the award document takes legal effect is generally not reimbursed.
When will I hear back?
The page gives no timeline. It says only the selected project partners will be contacted, and that the Consulate cannot send acknowledgements of receipt or rejection notices because of limited resources.
Sources
Data on this page is compiled from official program and provider references.
