About Us – BRLF

Built to bring India's development efforts together

BRLF began with a simple thought: when communities, governments and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) work together, rural and tribal India moves faster towards secure livelihoods and lasting prosperity. The work of bringing these partners together is vital, and it is the work BRLF was uniquely set up to do.

A gap that only partnership could close

In 2013, a Union Cabinet decision established BRLF to strengthen rural livelihoods with a focus on the Central Indian Tribal Belt. Its founders saw something clearly. Government brought scale, public resources and the reach to touch every block, every village. Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) brought community trust and local knowledge built over decades.

Communities themselves held the aspiration and ownership that lasting progress depends on. What was missing was the connecting work that could bring these strengths together in the same place, at the same time. BRLF was created to do exactly that: to help communities, governments and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) move from working alongside one another to working as one.

What we see. What we do.

A decade of work. One continuous purpose.

September 2013

Union Cabinet decision to strengthen civil society participation in rural development.

December 2013

BRLF registered as a society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.

January 2014

Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Ministry of Rural Development.

2015 onwards

First grants to CSO partners across the Central Indian tribal belt.

2017 onwards

State partnership era begins — Usharmukti (West Bengal), followed by Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Telangana, Bodoland (Assam) and Mizoram.

2023

Ten-year milestone; independent performance evaluation by WAPCOS confirms outcomes met and surpassed.

2026

10 States | 14 lakh+ households reached

Five partners, one shared goal

BRLF’s work brings five partners together, each contributing a strength the others build on. The partnership works best when all five move together.

From field practice to national policy

BRLF’s work on the ground has informed policy thinking at the national level.

Ministry of Rural Development

MoU for institutional mandate and governance

Member of 7th Common Review Mission team – 2024-25

Policy paper on effective implementation of VB-G RAM G (Formerly MGNREGA) – 2024-25

Ministry of Rural
Development

Ministry of Tribal Affairs

In 2019, MoTA designated BRLF as a Centre of Excellence. Through MoTA’s Grant-in-Aid programme, we evaluated and recommended Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to the Ministry through documentation review and field visits.

We also conducted an evaluation study examining the UsharMukti programme’s impact on tribal livelihoods, MGNREGA implementation, and government-civil society partnership in West Bengal.

Adi Karmayogi Abhiyan: 27 states · 61 state-level and 7 regional workshops · 2,282 district master trainers trained (2025-26)

Ministry of
Tribal Affairs

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

Prepared India’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP) chapter on poverty & livelihoods

Member, Expert Evaluation Panel for EIACP scheme

Contribution to Environmental Education, Awareness and Skill Development

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

National Commission for Scheduled Tribes

A Memorandum of Understanding signed in June 2026 brings the two partners together to:

Promote research and evidence-based studies

Support the framing of policies and programmes for tribal development

Strengthen the implementation of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, or PESA, and the Forest Rights Act, or FRA

National Commission for Scheduled Tribes

Rooted in the Central Indian tribal belt, and growing beyond it

BRLF’s programmes spans across
11 states | 130 districts | 463 blocks | 31,288 villages

Ongoing Programmes

Assam (Bodoland)

Programmes

Project DWIMU

Lead Govt Partner

Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), Government of Assam

Chhattisgarh

Programmes

High Impact Mega Watershed Project

Lead Govt Partner

Govt of Chhattisgarh

Jharkhand

Programmes

Jiwi Daah Hasa – High Impact Mega Watershed Project

Lead Govt Partner

Govt of Jharkhand

Madhya Pradesh

Programmes

AgRMLT

Lead Govt Partner

Govt of MP

Maharashtra

Programmes

High Impact Mega Watershed Project

Lead Govt Partner

Govt of Maharashtra

Mizoram

Programmes

MoU signed

Lead Govt Partner

Govt of Mizoram

Odisha

Programmes

Agriculture Production Clusters (APC) programme

Lead Govt Partner

Govt of Odisha

Telangana

Programmes

Focused Development Project

Lead Govt Partner

Govt of Telangana

West Bengal

Programmes

Community Forest Rights

Lead Govt Partner

Rural Development Department

Closed Programmes

Gujarat

Programmes

Closed Projects

Calls For

Proposals

Rajasthan

Programmes

Closed Projects

Calls For

Proposals

Established 2013.
Accountable by design.

BRLF was established by the Government of India in 2013 and works under a formal agreement (Memorandum of Understanding) with the Ministry of Rural Development. Its accounts are audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, and it reports to Parliament each year.

BRLF’s General Body and Executive Committee includes representatives of central and state governments, eminent persons from academia, civil society, and the corporate sector with demonstrated experience, understanding, and commitment to the issues of concern to BRLF.

Partner with Us

Whether you fund programmes, run a grassroots organisation, or want to build a career where communities and governments meet, there is a place for you in BRLF’s work.

Common questions
about BRLF.

What is BRLF?

Bharat Rural Livelihoods Foundation (BRLF) is an autonomous body, registered as a society, that works to improve the lives and livelihoods of the rural poor — with a particular focus on women and tribal (Adivasi) communities across India.

When was BRLF established, and by whom?

BRLF was set up following a 2013 Union Cabinet resolution, and registered in December 2013 under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, under the aegis of the Ministry of Rural Development. It was capitalised through a ₹500 crore government allocation, along with contributions from state governments, banks, corporates, and philanthropic foundations.

What does BRLF actually do?

BRLF partners with state governments and civil society organisations (CSOs) to scale up grassroots development work — strengthening the implementation and reach of government schemes rather than running programs alone. It provides grants and capacity-building support to CSOs, and helps them plug into large government programs for greater impact.

Which regions and communities does BRLF focus on?

BRLF’s priority focus is the Central Indian Adivasi belt – over 1,000 blocks across roughly 190 districts in states like Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Gujarat – with special attention to Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).

What kind of work areas does BRLF support?

Key themes include watershed development and natural resource management, sustainable and non-pesticide agriculture, participatory groundwater management, livelihoods and value chains for forest produce, women-led community institutions, and capacity building for rural professionals and grassroots organisations.

Who are BRLF's partners and how is it governed?

BRLF works with central and state government departments, CSO partners, corporate/CSR partners (like Axis Bank Foundation), and knowledge partners. It’s subject to audit by India’s Comptroller and Auditor General and voluntarily discloses information under the Right to Information Act.

Meet the BRLF team

Browse all programmes

See BRLF's full impact

CB Modules

Latest Annual Report

Browse current vacancies

Meet the BRLF team

Browse all programmes

See BRLF's full impact

Working Papers

CB Modules

See BRLF's full impact

Browse current vacancies

Built to bring India's development efforts together

A gap that only partnership could close

What we see. What we do.

A decade of work. One continuous purpose.

September 2013

December 2013

January 2014

2015 onwards

2017 onwards

2023

2026

Five partners, one shared goal

From field practice to national policy

Ministry of Rural Development

Ministry of Tribal Affairs

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

National Commission for Scheduled Tribes

Rooted in the Central Indian tribal belt, and growing beyond it

Established 2013. Accountable by design.

Partner with Us

Common questions about BRLF.

Established 2013.
Accountable by design.

Common questions
about BRLF.