Our Partners

Our Partners in India

The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) works through long-standing partnerships with Indian organisations that share our commitment to liberal democracy, individual freedom, free markets, human rights, and an open digital society. Rather than implementing projects on our own, we collaborate with think tanks, research centres, civil society organisations, and industry bodies that bring deep local expertise to the issues that matter most for India and South Asia.

Our partner network in India spans education and the dissemination of liberal ideas, digital rights and technology policy, MSME and entrepreneurship development, geopolitics and India's role in the world, human rights and democratic processes within the Tibetan community, and the promotion of liberal values across the border in Nepal. Together, these six partnerships shape the bulk of FNF's work in the region.

Below is an introduction to each of our partners, listed alphabetically, and the work we do together.

The Centre for Civil Society, founded in 1997 and based in New Delhi, is one of India's leading public policy think tanks. CCS works on individual choice, institutional accountability, and social change through public policy, with a strong focus on education, livelihoods, and governance. Over nearly three decades, it has built a wide community of researchers, policy practitioners, and young liberals across the country.

Together with CCS, we work on disseminating liberal values and supporting education in India. We support Indian Liberals, an online archive that preserves and shares the works of India's own liberal thinkers, making the case that liberalism has deep Indian roots. We also support Researching Reality, CCS's flagship annual internship where students are mentored to carry out original research on real policy issues faced by people on the ground. Alongside this, we run colloquia, lectures, and shorter training programmes on liberal values that help build the next generation of liberal voices in India.

The Centre for Communication Governance at National Law University Delhi is the only academic research centre in India dedicated to information technology law and policy. CCG works on digital rights, data protection, platform governance, cybersecurity, and the regulation of new technologies, and has become one of Asia's leading institutions in this space. FNF has been a partner of CCG since 2019.

With CCG, we work on digital rights and digitisation. Together we have produced podcasts and research papers on digital rights and technology policy, and run an essay series on emerging trends in data governance. We have also supported CCG's flagship International Summer School, which brings together students from India, Germany, and Brazil for an intensive week of learning on information law and policy. 

The Foundation for MSME Clusters is India's leading non-profit dedicated to the growth and development of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises through a cluster-based approach. FMC works across hundreds of MSME clusters and has supported tens of thousands of small businesses and artisanal units across the country. FNF has been a partner of FMC since 2019.

With FMC, we work to highlight the realities that MSMEs face on the ground and to push for a policy environment that supports their growth. Together we have helped startups and MSMEs connect with investment opportunities, promoted sustainable and resource-efficient business models, and held many sessions with entrepreneurs, startup founders, and business membership organisations (BMOs). Through these dialogues, we help bring the MSME voice into the wider conversation on India's economic future.

Kalinga Kusum Foundation is FNF's newest partner in India, joining us in 2024 to lead our work on India's growing role in geopolitics, trade, and security. As global power balances shift and India steps into a more central role in international affairs, KKF helps us understand how Indians themselves see their country's place in the world.

With KKF, we recently produced a survey report, Navigating India's Role: Perspectives on Security, Geopolitics, and Trade, which captured the views of urban Indians across 25 cities on how India should engage with the world. In the months ahead, we will host more discussions and convenings with KKF on India's evolving role in geopolitics, trade, and security.

Samriddhi Foundation, based in Kathmandu, is Nepal's leading independent public policy think tank promoting civil, political, and economic freedom. Through its research, training programmes, and public outreach, Samriddhi has built a strong community of young Nepalis who engage with the ideas of liberalism, entrepreneurship, and active citizenship.

With Samriddhi, we promote liberal values in Nepal, especially among young people. Together we have analysed several major bills tabled in Nepal's Parliament and produced policy briefs on the Companies Bill, the ICT Bill, the Land Use Bill, the Consumer Protection Bill, and the Industrial Enterprises Bill. Through this work, we help shape public debate on civil liberties, ease of doing business, and the regulatory environment that shapes everyday life for Nepalis.

The Social and Resource Development Fund is part of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), based in Dharamshala. FNF has been a partner of the CTA since 1991, making this our longest-standing partnership in the region. Through SARD and the CTA, we promote human rights and democratic processes within the Tibetan community in exile.

With SARD, we have supported the sessions of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile since 1991. We have also trained many Tibetan parliamentarians and research scholars through conferences and expert lectures, helping strengthen democratic practice and policy capacity within the community. Our work also includes women's empowerment, with initiatives on menstrual health and hygiene, conversations on gender in schools, and creating spaces for young Tibetan women to engage with issues of rights and equality.