Introduction :The British Council has invited applications for its Action Research Mentoring Scheme 2026–27, supporting teacher educators and academics who mentor English language teachers through classroom-based action research in multilingual teaching.
The scheme offers a £10,000 grant and is designed to strengthen institutional capacity for action research and support teachers working in government schools in India. The application deadline is 14 September 2026.
About the Action Research Mentoring Scheme
The programme supports action research projects in the area of multilingual English language teaching.
Through the mentoring model, participating teachers can explore new approaches, develop reflective teaching practices, improve confidence and contribute to better student learning outcomes.
Grant Amount
The selected applicant can receive a grant of:
£10,000
The funding is intended to support the proposed action research and associated mentoring, teacher support, workshops, activities and project implementation. Applicants must submit an appropriate budget with their proposal.
Who Can Apply?
The scheme is specifically designed for eligible ELT institutes and organisations in India.
Eligible Countries: India only. The applicant must be a legally registered organisation in India and FCRA compliant. The proposed research must involve English teachers in government primary or secondary schools in India.
Mandatory requirements include:
The applicant must be an ELT institute with relevant capacity and expertise.
The organisation must be able to conduct action research with teachers currently teaching English at primary or secondary level in government schools in India.
The proposed research must address a clearly defined issue aligned with the scheme’s priority themes.
The organisation must have the required institutional approvals and ethical clearances where applicable.
The applicant must be a legally registered organisation in India.
FCRA compliance is mandatory, and the organisation must be eligible to receive international grant funding.
The applicant must demonstrate appropriate organisational, project-management and financial capacity.
Important: This is not a general-purpose NGO grant. Organisations should apply only if they meet the specialised ELT and research requirements.
Priority Research Themes
Proposed action research should fall within the scheme’s identified themes:
Teaching English in a multilingual classroom
Assessments for multilingual classrooms
Use of educational technology in multilingual classrooms
Language-responsive pedagogy for foundational learning
Teacher professional development for multilingual education
What Applicants Should Demonstrate
The British Council expects applicants to present a clear and realistic implementation plan.
The proposal should address elements such as:
Research objectives
Research rationale
Mentoring model
Teacher support
Workshops
Project timeline
Expected outputs and outcomes
Budget
Applicants should also integrate considerations relating to gender, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), and climate change into the project design and implementation.
Application Documents
Applicants need to submit:
Proposal response
Budget
The British Council provides the application proposal and budget templates as part of the official call documents.
Application Deadline
14 September 2026, by midnight India time
Applications submitted after the deadline may not be considered.
How to Apply
Applicants should complete the application documents and submit them by email to:
TeachEnglish.India@britishcouncil.org
The application should include the completed proposal response and budget.
The British Council also provided a separate deadline of 22 August 2026 for questions. Since that date has passed, we should not present it as a current opportunity to ask questions. The application deadline of 14 September remains the relevant deadline.
Why This Opportunity Matters
The Action Research Mentoring Scheme provides a specialised funding opportunity for Indian ELT organisations seeking to strengthen teacher research, multilingual education and professional development.
For eligible organisations, the programme combines funding with a structured focus on action research and institutional capacity building.
Organisations looking for other funding opportunities can also explore our Funds for Indian NGOs resource.
Official Information and Application
Applicants should read the complete British Council guidelines and application documents before applying.
Official application email: TeachEnglish.India@britishcouncil.org
Official source: British Council Action Research Mentoring Scheme 2026–27
Related NGOportal Resources
Funds for Indian NGOs
Education Grants
Research Grants
Proposal Writing Resources
NGO Database India
Disclaimer: NGOportal only disseminates information about funding opportunities. Publication of an opportunity does not guarantee eligibility, funding, partnership or selection. Applicants should verify the latest requirements, deadline and application process with the respective funding organisation.