Assistance to Voluntary Organizations for OBC Welfare 2026: Up to 90% Project Grant

At a glance

About the scheme

The Assistance to Voluntary Organizations Working for Welfare of OBCs (AVOWWOBC) is a central sector initiative by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. It partners with non-profit voluntary organisations and trusts to deliver vocational training and skill upgrades to Other Backward Class (OBC) youth and adults. By supporting training in practical trades—such as computer education, electrical repair, plumbing, and tailoring—the scheme equips participants to secure gainful employment or start self-employment ventures, with a focus on backward districts and Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana villages.

Benefits

• Government covers up to 90% of approved project expenditure for voluntary organisations.
• PSUs or other partner organisations can receive funding limited to 30% of project cost.
• First instalment of up to 75% released upon submission of required documents.
• Second instalment released after submission of audited accounts and utilisation certificates.
• Free technical and vocational skill training provided to OBC candidates in trades like electrical work, plumbing, computers, and vehicle repair.
• Priority funding allocated to projects operating in backward districts and Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) villages.

Who can apply (eligibility)

• Beneficiary must belong to the Central or State/UT list of Other Backward Classes (OBC).
• Beneficiary's annual family income must not exceed ₹1,00,000.
• At least 50% of enrolled trainees must be women.
• Organisation must be registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, a relevant State/UT Act, or as a public trust.
• Organisation must have completed at least 3 years of registration (waivable only in exceptional cases).
• Organisation must have at least 2 years of proven experience in the relevant field.
• Organisation must operate on a non-profit basis with a democratic governance structure and maintain an active bank account in its name for at least 3 years.

Who cannot apply

• Organisations operated for personal profit or controlled by external non-democratic bodies are not eligible.
• Beneficiaries whose annual family income exceeds ₹1,00,000 are not eligible.
• Non-OBC candidates are excluded from trainee assistance under this scheme.

Documents required

• NGO PAN Card
• Audited or unaudited accounts of the previous financial year
• Utilisation Certificate (UC)
• Budget estimates for the current financial year
• Performance report with statistical data of the previous year
• OBC caste certificate of beneficiaries
• Income certificate of beneficiaries proving annual family income up to ₹1,00,000

How to apply

1. 1Visit the NGO-DARPAN portal (ngodarpan.gov.in) and register using the exact organisation name and PAN to generate a Unique ID.
2. 2Navigate to the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment grants portal (grants-msje.gov.in/register-page) and register using your NGO Unique ID and PAN.
3. 3Verify your registration using the OTP sent to your registered mobile and email, and receive your portal login ID.
4. 4Log in to the grants portal (grants-msje.gov.in/ngo-login) with your credentials.
5. 5Enter the project proposal details in the prescribed online format and provide your organisation's bank details.
6. 6Upload all mandatory documents including previous year accounts, budget estimates, and performance reports.
7. 7Review saved drafts for accuracy, submit the proposal finally online, and download the generated acknowledgement receipt.

Frequently asked questions