How to check any Indian NGO in fifteen minutes (including us)

Donating is an act of trust, but it does not have to be an act of faith. Nearly everything you need is public.

1. Darpan (NITI Aayog)

Every legitimately registered NGO seeking government funds has a unique Darpan ID. Search the name on the NGO Darpan portal. Ours: MP/2021/0318742.

2. 80G and 12A status

Ask for the registration numbers, then verify them on the Income Tax e-filing portal under "Tax Exempted Institutions". If an organisation offers you an 80G receipt but cannot produce a valid registration number, stop there.

3. CSR-1 (only relevant for corporate giving)

A company cannot legally route CSR funds to an entity without a CSR-1 registration filed with the MCA. Verify it on the MCA portal. Ours: CSR00042918.

4. FCRA (only if the money is coming from abroad)

Foreign contributions require a current FCRA registration. Ours is applied for and not yet approved, which means we cannot accept foreign donations today — and we say so on our donation form rather than taking the money and sorting it out later.

5. The financials

Ask for the last two audited statements and the Form 10B. Then look at exactly one ratio first: programme expenditure as a share of total expenditure. Above 80% is healthy. Below 65%, ask why — there are legitimate answers, and you deserve to hear one.

6. The check nobody makes

For a food programme, this one is easy: turn up unannounced. Ask to see the kitchen at 5 a.m. and the distribution at the gate. An organisation doing the work will say yes and give you the address.

Run all of this on us. If any of it does not check out, write to us and we will publish the correction.