India CSR compliance
CSR-1, 12A, 80G — what NGOs need to publish on GeoForever.
A plain-English guide to the three documents that determine whether your NGO can attract CSR funding in India, plus the document checklist GeoForever asks for at onboarding.
The big three
Documents corporates look for first.
Registration for CSR funds
CSR-1 is mandatory for any NGO that wants to receive CSR funds under Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013. It's filed with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and is the foundational document corporates check before disbursing CSR spend.
Income tax exemption
12A registration with the Income Tax Department exempts your NGO's income from tax. Without 12A, corporate donations may be treated as taxable income — most CSR teams will not engage with a non-12A NGO.
Tax deduction for donors
80G certification lets your donors claim a tax deduction on their contributions. While not strictly required for corporate CSR, 80G dramatically widens your funder pool and signals credibility.
Onboarding
Document checklist
Have these ready before you start the GeoForever NGO registration flow.
7 documents to upload
- PAN card of the NGO entity
- Registration certificate (Trust deed, Society registration, or Section 8 incorporation)
- CSR-1 acknowledgment with MCA
- 12A registration certificate
- 80G registration certificate (if available)
- Most recent two years of audited financial statements
- Board resolution authorizing the GeoForever signatory
SDG primer
17 goals, one common language
Every project on GeoForever is tagged to at least one SDG so corporate CSR teams can find work that aligns with their stated focus areas.
What we don't include
GeoForever does not include any government-facing module. All compliance steps with MCA, CBDT, and your state office happen outside the platform. We surface and verify the resulting documents — we don't file them on your behalf.
Ready to get your projects funded?
Register your NGO with GeoForever, or talk to our compliance team for help getting your documents in order.
Last updated: May 2026