The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 remains India’s core law for regulating foreign donations to individuals, associations, trusts, non-governmental organisations, and companies. The 2026 amendment package and revised rules matter because they sharpen compliance, asset-handling, and disclosure requirements while keeping the law’s stated aim of allowing lawful international cooperation.

What the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 does

The Ministry of Home Affairs administers the law. The statutory framework governs who can receive foreign contributions, how such funds must be received and reported, and which activities are restricted because of sovereignty, security, public order, democratic integrity, or electoral concerns.

Background and earlier position

The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act began in 1976. The release describes the law as evolving through later strengthening measures, including the 1984 amendment, the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010, the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Rules, 2011, and successive amendments in 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2024–25.

The 2010 law consolidated the earlier framework and introduced a tighter compliance structure, including renewal-based registration, suspension and cancellation powers, and detailed reporting obligations. The release also notes later changes such as mandatory identity verification for office-bearers, a single banking channel for foreign contributions, a restriction on sub-granting, and a lower ceiling on administrative expenditure.

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