Restrictive foreign-funding environments for NGOs, coping strategies and implications: a case from India

Autocratization increasingly relies on nonviolent repression through administrative and legal measures that restrict forms of civil society while preserving the appearance of democratic governance. Specifically, there is growing evidence of the targeting of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Considering these global trends, amendments to India’s Foreign Contributions Regulations Act (FCRA) have drawn international attention and criticism. How are NGOs in India managing their operational environment considering the recent restrictions? What are the implications for NGOs and broader civil society in India? I probe these research questions through a case study of a well-established Indian NGO, under the pseudonym People for Children in India (PFCI). The findings contribute to the literature about coping strategies and responses to foreign funding restrictions employed by NGOs that are relevant to broader trends in civil society and development, NGO regulation, democratic backsliding, and emergent literature on so-called ‘NGO afterlives’.