Welcome to ICEF

The primary focus of ICEF is to develop natural resources and improve environmental managerial capacity within government, non-government/community organizations, and with the private sector as the basis for addressing specific natural resource and environmental problems in water and energy sectors in India. Indian organizations/institutions working in the environment sector, both non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and government agencies, and in certain cases, private sector firms, may apply to ICEF for a grant to implement a sub-project consistent with the specific priorities and criteria set out by ICEF.

ICEF mandate is to:

•	Enhance the capacity of Indian private and public sector organizations to undertake environmentally sustainable development and management of land, water and energy resources.

•	Provide support for programmes that specifically address the inter-relationship between poverty and environmental degradation, especially as it affects women.

•	Provide support for public awareness of environmental issues, community participations, and for community-based management of land, water, and energy resources.

ICEF has four “capacity-building” objectives:

•	Institutional development: Establishing or strengthening environmentrelated institutions.

•	Conservation and restoration: Undertaking activities that redress environmental degradation with potential to be replicated.

•	Policy and national dialogue: Providing analysis and discussion that will have an impact on national and state policies and related practices.

•	Technology adoption: Adoption and dissemination of pollution abatement, energy conservation and renewable energy technologies

ICEF is particularly supportive of applications that demonstrate:

•	Community participation in project implementation.

•	Direct environmental benefits through physical improvements.

•	A promising or innovative approach to an existing issue.

•	An integrated resource management approach to the issue.

Project proposals are evaluated based on the following key criteria:

•	Institutional qualifications and potential for capacity building;

•	Direct contribution to sound environmental management;

•	Social and cultural effects, with particular emphasis on the role of women in development;

•	Technical feasibility;

•	Economic and financial viability;

•	Sustainability of the project activities and results.

ICEF does not fund:

•	Infrastructure support projects involving major capital investments;

•	Capital activities for which funds are available from commercial financial institutions;

•	Recurring costs of an organization not directly related to the project;

•	Projects not directly related to environmental management;

•	Research projects that are not applied in the field to address practical problems.