The state partnership model: how we deliver together

BRLF funds and facilitates the connecting work that helps programmes succeed: the coordination, capacity building and shared oversight that let communities, governments and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) organisations deliver together.

Government schemes power the partnership

PARTNER 01

Civil Society Organisations

Plus

PARTNER 01

Civil Society Organisations

Ground-level implementation, community mobilisation, and close accountability to household outcomes in the areas where the programme runs.

Minus

PARTNER 02

State government

Plus

PARTNER 02

State government

Programme funding, policy backing, and aligning central and state welfare schemes behind the programme.

Minus

PARTNER 03

BRLF

Plus

PARTNER 03

BRLF

Facilitation, capacity building, due diligence, technical support, monitoring and learning systems, and the coordination that holds the three-way partnership together.

Minus

Central ministries and 11 states

The model operates at two levels: formal partnerships with three central ministries, and programme partnerships across active states. We have worked across 11 states since inception and are currently active in the states of Assam (Bodoland), Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha and Telangana.

BRLF’s founding ministry. Corpus funding, the MoU framework, and annual reports to Parliament.

Institutional partnership to strengthen grassroots organisations across tribal regions in central India.

Technical partnership on climate and livelihoods. Authored the poverty and livelihoods chapter of India’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP), serves on the expert evaluation panel for the Environment Information, Awareness, Capacity Building and Livelihood Programme (EIACP), and contributes to environmental education and skill development.

State partnerships

Five steps to a state partnership

Identifying the Geography

With the state government, we identify the blocks where the need is greatest and the partnership can deliver the most, focusing effort where it counts.

The Agreement

We sign a formal agreement (MoU) with the state government, defining roles, fund flows and accountability for every partner before implementation begins.

Choosing the Grassroots Partner

We conduct structured due diligence to identify CSOs with proven presence and implementation capacity in the target geography.

Setting Up the Joint Programme Unit

A State Programme Management Unit is jointly staffed and anchored to the relevant state department to manage coordination and governance.

Reviewing Together

A steering committee drawn from government, civil society organisations and BRLF guides the work throughout.

Government schemes power the partnership

What Civil Society Organisations bring

Plus (1)

What Civil Society Organisations bring

Closest to the community. Trust built over years, local knowledge, village mobilisation, and reach to the last household.

Minus (1)

What government brings

Plus (1)

What government brings

Scale and public backing. Flagship development schemes, public resources, policy support, and reach across every block and district.

Minus (1)

What BRLF brings

Plus (1)

What BRLF brings

The connecting work. Technical expertise, capacity building, due diligence, monitoring and learning systems, and staffing for the joint state unit.

Minus (1)

Five implementation models across livelihood contexts

The State Partnership Model produces distinct implementation approaches, each adapted to a different livelihood context across BRLF’s programme areas.

What the model produces in numbers

When facilitation, government convergence and philanthropic support work together in a formal partnership, they mobilise far more than any one partner could on its own.

Outcome: 1:26

Every rupee BRLF invests as grants to grassroots organisations unlocks Rs. 26 of additional resources.

3%

BRLF

BRLF GRANTS (CORPUS-FUNDED): Rs. 218.97 Cr

90%

State Government

SCHEME LEVERAGE:
Rs. 5,428.66 Cr

7%

CSR and Donors

CO-FINANCING: Rs. 356 Cr

State ratios range from roughly 1:24 to 1:32 depending on scheme availability, government co-investment, and the depth of grassroots implementation.

PARTNER WITH BRLF

Start a conversation about partnership

Our partnerships team can walk you through programme fit, geography, and investment range. Most partnerships begin with a single conversation.