ICSSR Publication Grant 2026 for Up to Rs. 8,00,000

At a glance

About the scheme

The Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), under the Ministry of Education, Government of India, provides Grants-in-Aid for supporting professional associations/organisations of social scientists, companies and trusts for their development. The grant sanctioned for supporting the association/organisation, companies and trusts duly registered under the Companies Act should only be used to incur expenditure for running of office i.e electricity, rent, telephone and other related expenditure and purchase of books/journals for library, postage, computer, furniture, office stationery etc. The amount of ad-hoc grant shall ordinarily not exceed Rs. 8,00,000/- annually. The ICSSR may also consider providing grant-in-aid to professional associations/organisations of social scientists of national importance for their development or for any other innovative idea which may help the social science community in general in their development. Ten percent (10%) of total grant-in-aid is paid as the last instalment at the end of the year after the Audited Statement of Accounts and Utilization Certificate in respect of the entire amount of the sanctioned grant are received.

Benefits

• Grant-in-aid up to Rs. 8,00,000 for supporting professional associations, organisations of social scientists, companies and trusts for development.
• Coverage of office maintenance costs like electricity, rent, and telephone.
• Annual renewal for up to five years based on review.
• Amount is disbursed in two instalments, first instalment is 90% and second will be 10%, which will be released after submitting Audited Statement of Accounts and Utilisation Certificate.

Who can apply (eligibility)

• Must be a national-level association or organisation.
• Should have been in existence for at least 2 years.
• Must be registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 if privately funded.
• The professional associations, organisations of social scientists, companies and trusts should have been involved in national, regional or local socio-economic research objectives.
• Must submit annual reports, audited accounts, and member lists for the past three years.

Who cannot apply

• Organisations not engaged in academic activities in social sciences.
• Associations working only in extension or welfare work.

Documents required

• Prescribed Application Form (with signature and seal).
• Annexure-I: Organisation Information.
• Annexure-II: Audited Accounts and Annual Reports (last 3 years).
• Annexure-III: Details of Funding Sources (last 3 years).
• Annexure-IV: SC/ST Certificate (if applicable).
• List of Members (minimum 200 nationwide).
• Registration Certificate (if private body).
• Audited Statement of Accounts.
• Utilisation Certificate (UC).
• Updated Grant-in-Aid Bill (GIB).

How to apply

1. 1Application Receipt. PRS Division accepts applications throughout the year. Submit prescribed Application Form (with signature and seal), Annexure-I, Annexure-II, Annexure-III, Annexure-IV, List of Members, Registration Certificate (if private body).
2. 2Preliminary Scrutiny by PRS Division. Verification of eligibility and document completeness.
3. 3Proposal to Member Secretary. PRS Division seeks approval to hold an Expert Committee Meeting.
4. 4Expert Committee Meeting for Evaluation. Evaluation of academic contribution, objectives, and viability.
5. 5Approval of Recommendations. Minutes approved by Member Secretary and ICSSR Council.
6. 6Communication of Award. Selected organisations are issued award letters. Request for GIB and PFMS details.
7. 7Sanction Order – First Installment. PRS processes and sends sanction orders to Audit and Finance.
8. 8Submission of Utilisation Reports. Audited expenditure details for release of balance funds.
9. 9Sanction Order – Second Installment. Second installment for audit and finance clearance.

Frequently asked questions