SBI Foundation Invites Proposals from NGOs/NPOs for SBIF LEAP Climate Smart Livelihood Projects under DDKY

Tender / RFP Overview

SBI Foundation has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) inviting eligible non-profit organizations, NGOs, trusts, and societies registered in India to submit project proposals for CSR funding under SBIF LEAP: Climate Smart Livelihood aligned with DDKY.

The initiative focuses on supporting climate-smart agriculture, rural livelihood enhancement, farmer-centric development, natural resource management, technology integration, market linkages, and sustainable livelihood interventions. The RFP is suitable for organizations with proven experience in agriculture, rural development, livelihoods, natural resource management, farmer institutions, and allied development projects.

Key Tender Details

Important Note: The RFP date table mentions 7 July 2026 as the last date for proposal submission. The submission row also states that soft copies should be sent by 5 July 2026. Applicants should verify the latest instruction from SBI Foundation and submit well before the earlier mentioned date to avoid any risk.

Scope of Work

The proposed projects should focus on Climate Smart Livelihoods and be aligned with DDKY. The broad scope includes agriculture and allied livelihood interventions that improve rural incomes, climate resilience, productivity, market access, and community-level sustainability.

The project scope may include the following areas:

1. Agricultural Productivity Enhancement
   Promotion of improved farming practices, crop diversification, integrated farming systems, horticulture, sustainable agriculture, and soil health management.
2. Water Resource Management and Irrigation
   Watershed development, water conservation, rainwater harvesting, micro-irrigation, community irrigation infrastructure, and water-use efficiency.
3. Post-Harvest Management and Value Addition
   Support for storage facilities, aggregation centres, grading, packaging, primary processing units, and market-oriented infrastructure.
4. Institution Building
   Formation and strengthening of SHGs, FPOs, JLGs, cooperatives, seed banks, producer groups, water user groups, and other community-based institutions.
5. Market Linkages and Financial Inclusion
   Buyer-seller linkages, value chain development, access to digital marketplaces, institutional credit, financial literacy, and market access support.
6. Technology and Innovation
   Use of digital tools, ICT platforms, GIS, remote sensing, agri-tech, weather advisory systems, precision agriculture, AI-enabled tools, renewable energy, and farm mechanization.
7. Monitoring and Knowledge Management
   Project monitoring, impact assessment, MIS development, documentation of learnings, reporting, and dissemination of best practices.
8. Government Scheme Convergence
   Convergence with schemes such as PM-DDKY, PMKSY, RKVY, MIDH, NRLM, PMFME, National Livestock Mission, MGNREGS, and other agriculture and rural development programmes.

Pre-Qualification Criteria

Applicants must meet the following basic pre-qualification requirements:

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible organizations should:

1. Be registered in India as a non-profit organization, trust, society or similar eligible entity.
2. Submit only one proposal; multiple submissions may lead to disqualification.
3. Meet the technical and financial requirements stated in the RFP.
4. Submit complete information in the required formats.
5. Provide signed and sealed proposal documents.
6. Submit all mandatory due diligence documents listed in Annexure II.
7. Ensure that the proposal is in English.
8. Not have any record of blacklisting, fraud, corruption, financial irregularity or criminal activity.
9. Submit project completion certificates and experience details for previous relevant work.
10. Ensure any technology partner or subcontracted support is clearly defined and approved by SBI Foundation.

Financial Criteria

The project budget should fall within the prescribed range of ₹50 lakh to ₹2 crore.

Applicable financial years mentioned in the RFP include FY 2023-24, FY 2024-25, and FY 2025-26, with reference also made to FY 2022-23 depending on the proposal category and availability of financial documents.

Required Summary Table for SkillCouncils.com

Tender Fee and EMD

The RFP does not mention any tender fee or Earnest Money Deposit (EMD). Therefore, for public listing purposes, the tender fee may be marked as Not Mentioned / Nil, and EMD may be marked as Not Applicable.

Submission Guidelines

Applicants must download and complete the RFP forms and annexures from the SBI Foundation request for proposals page. The completed proposal, along with all required documents and annexures, must be submitted through email.

Key submission instructions:

1. Submit the completed proposal by email to sbifleaprfp@sbifoundation.co.in.
2. Use the subject line: “SBIF LEAP RFP DDKY ”.
3. Submit all proposal formats, annexures, financial documents, due diligence documents, and supporting documents.
4. Proposal must be complete in all respects.
5. Incomplete or non-responsive submissions may be rejected.
6. The proposal must be in English.
7. Shortlisted NGOs may be asked to submit hard copies later at SBI Foundation’s Mumbai office.
8. Queries must be sent by email only; telephone, social media, or other modes will not be entertained.

Important Dates and Deadlines

Evaluation Process

SBI Foundation will shortlist proposals based on its internal shortlisting criteria and the selection criteria specified in the RFP. The internal committee will evaluate shortlisted proposals and submit recommendations to the competent authority. The decision of the competent authority will be final.

The technical evaluation form is mentioned as being evaluated out of 100 marks. Applicants should ensure that the proposal clearly explains the project design, implementation plan, outcomes, monitoring approach, financial structure, sustainability, and alignment with SBIF LEAP Climate Smart Livelihood objectives.

Grant Terms

Selected organizations will be required to execute a grant agreement or MoU with SBI Foundation. Grant release may be done on a quarterly or half-yearly basis, subject to satisfactory performance and submission of required activity and financial utilization reports.

The selected agency may also be required to maintain a separate bank account, preferably with State Bank of India, for routing all project receipts and payments.

Document Checklist

Applicants should prepare and submit the following documents:

Who Should Apply?

This RFP is relevant for NGOs/NPOs working in:

1. Climate-smart agriculture
2. Rural livelihoods
3. Farmer producer groups and community institutions
4. Natural resource management
5. Water conservation and irrigation
6. Agriculture value chains
7. Farmer training and livelihood promotion
8. Technology-enabled agriculture
9. Market linkage and rural enterprise development
10. Government scheme convergence and community development

Conclusion

The SBI Foundation RFP for SBIF LEAP: Climate Smart Livelihood aligned with DDKY offers a significant CSR funding opportunity for experienced NGOs and non-profit organizations working in agriculture and rural livelihood development. Eligible organizations should carefully review the RFP, prepare all required due diligence documents, ensure financial eligibility, and submit a complete proposal within the prescribed timeline.