Application Deadline:
27 November 2026
About Organisation
Rainmatter Foundation is an Indian philanthropic organisation working to support communities and initiatives that protect nature and strengthen ecological resilience. Its approach places local communities and their relationships with the natural environment at the centre of conservation.
The Foundation supports work that connects ecology with culture, history and everyday life, recognising that meaningful environmental protection often grows out of the knowledge, commitment and stewardship of people who live close to the ecosystems they protect.
About the Grant
The Rainmatter Foundation Nature Awards 2027 is the Foundation’s first edition of an initiative designed to recognise individuals and groups carrying out meaningful, place-based nature conservation work across India.
The awards aim to bring wider attention to people who have spent years protecting local ecosystems, restoring natural habitats and strengthening the relationship between communities and the places they call home. This includes people protecting lakes and rivers, restoring forest patches, documenting disappearing species, building seed banks, safeguarding coastlines and preserving local ecological knowledge.
The programme will recognise 15 awardees across five categories, with three winners in each category. Every award carries a financial contribution of ₹5 lakh, which recipients can use however they see fit for their conservation work. There are no specific spending conditions attached to the award money.
The five award categories are Individual Steward or Custodian, Youth Steward or Custodian (for individuals under 30), Community Group, Academic or Researcher, and Media. The programme also includes a special mention for an exceptional government official, which carries a citation and a small token of appreciation rather than the ₹5 lakh award.
Through this initiative, Rainmatter Foundation hopes to identify grassroots conservation efforts that may not have received formal philanthropic support or wider public recognition.
Who can Apply?
The awards are intended for small, independent individuals and community groups working in a specific geographical location in India. The work should be rooted in the place being protected, whether it is a lake, forest, neighbourhood, coastline, river or another local ecosystem.
Nominees should have been actively involved in their work for at least two years. They should also have a strong connection with the community and place they serve: the individual, or the members and leadership of the group, should belong to the community whose environment they are protecting.
The Foundation is particularly interested in initiatives that connect ecological conservation with local culture, history, traditional knowledge and community memory. Nominees must also be able to receive a bank transfer.
The following are not eligible for nomination:
Registered NGOs.
Private limited companies and Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs).
Government bodies or groups.
Chapters or field offices of well-resourced national or international organisations.
Existing Rainmatter Foundation partners.
Individuals with formal political-party affiliations or those primarily engaged in electoral or partisan work.
Individuals with unresolved legal cases directly related to their nature conservation work.
Self-nominations are not accepted. You cannot nominate yourself or a group you belong to.
How to Apply?
This is a nomination-based awards programme, rather than a conventional grant application. Individuals can nominate eligible people or groups whose nature conservation work deserves recognition. You may nominate more than one group, but a separate nomination form must be submitted for each nominee.
Nominators should provide information about the person or group, their relationship with the specific place they work in, the conservation activities they have undertaken, the challenges they have faced and the impact of their work on the local ecosystem and community.
The nomination form can be completed in English, Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Marathi, Telugu, Bengali, Malayalam or another Indian language. Applicants should review the eligibility conditions carefully before submitting a nomination.
The Foundation’s jury will review eligible nominations and may contact nominators for clarification or additional information.
Application Deadline
The application deadline is 27 November 2026..
Last Date To Apply
For more information, please visit the grant website here.
