Expression of Interest (EOI) for Trade & Livelihood Partners

Expression of Interest (EOI) for Trade & Livelihood Partners

Issued By: BharatCares

Introduction

India's rural and tribal skilling landscape holds a real opportunity: pairing structured vocational training with locally rooted crafts and livelihood traditions, so that trainees gain both immediate employability and enterprise pathways they can build on for a lifetime. The Kaushal Vikas Setu program has established Skills Academies as permanent community assets like training centers designed to expand into new trades each year, drawing on the skills, materials, and traditions already present in the communities they serve. Kaushal Vikas Setu is a Skill Development Program implemented by BharatCares (SMEC Trust), currently running vocational training centers at Baihar (Balaghat district, Madhya Pradesh) and Surgana (Nashik district, Maharashtra). The program trains tribal and rural youth with priority given to women across trades including Assistant Electrician, Sewing Machine Operator, and Handmade Accessories, and is designed to add new trades to its Skills Academy model over time. To deepen and diversify this impact, we now invite Expressions of Interest from three categories of partners: (A) bamboo-based organizations and NGOs working in the bamboo sector, (B) Warli painting artists, enthusiasts, and organizations, and (C) organizations offering high-level, advanced tailoring and garment design expertise. If your organization or you as an individual practitioner work in any of these areas, this EOI is for you.

About the Program

Kaushal Vikas Setu is implemented by BharatCares at two block-level Skills Academies Baihar (Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh) and Surgana (Nashik, Maharashtra) serving tribal communities including Bhil, Garasia, Bhilala, Warli, and Mahadeo Koli.

The program is built around:

• Skills Academy model — permanent, block-level training centres offering NSQF-aligned vocational courses, designed to expand into new trades each year
• Community-rooted trades — courses selected based on local skill traditions, available materials, and market opportunity
• Women-first design — minimum 30% female participation overall, with women prioritized in trades such as Sewing Machine Operator and Handmade Accessories
• Enterprise pathway — trained participants are supported towards wage employment, self-employment, or enterprise formation, including through Hub & Spoke home-based work models

Surgana, home to the Nashik center, has a significant Warli tribal population — custodians of the Warli painting tradition. Both centers also run an existing Sewing Machine Operator / Handmade Accessories trade that we are looking to elevate into a higher-value, more market-ready tailoring offering.

Part A — Bamboo-Based Livelihood & Craft Partners

Why We Are Issuing This EOI Surgana's tribal communities carry long-standing bamboo-working knowledge, and bamboo offers a low-investment, locally sourced material base for livelihood generation. We are seeking partners who can help the Suragna Skill Centre design and deliver a structured bamboo livelihood/craft trade one that builds on existing community skill while introducing market-ready product design, quality standards, and sales linkages. We are looking for partners who can contribute to one or more of the following:

• Curriculum & Trade Design — Developing a structured, NSQF-align able training curriculum for bamboo craft/product-making suited to the local skill base
• Trainer Deployment — Providing or training master trainers in bamboo processing, product design, and finishing techniques
• Product Development — Designing market-ready bamboo products (utility items, furniture components, décor, eco-friendly packaging) suited to urban and institutional markets
• Tools & Equipment — Supporting basic processing equipment/tools for bamboo treatment and product-making
• Market Linkage — Connecting trained artisans/entrepreneurs to buyers, retailers, or export markets for bamboo products

Objectives

• Introduce a structured bamboo livelihood trade at the center in Surgana.
• Build trainee capability from raw bamboo processing through to finished, sellable products
• Establish market linkages that make bamboo-based livelihoods sustainable beyond the training period
• Build a long-term partnership — not a one-time training that grows with the Skill Center.

Who Can Apply

• NGOs and development organizations working in the bamboo sector or on bamboo-based livelihoods
• Bamboo cooperatives, producer companies, or enterprises with training/mentoring capacity
• Government-affiliated bamboo missions, boards, or their implementation partners
• Design studios or social enterprises with bamboo product development experience

Eligibility Criteria

Mandatory:

• Formally registered organization or enterprise
• Demonstrated prior work in the bamboo sector — cultivation, processing, craft, or enterprise
• Willingness to engage in a structured, time-bound collaboration with defined deliverables
• Committed to a community-first approach centring trainee ownership and livelihood outcomes

Preferred:

• Prior experience training tribal or rural communities
• Presence or operational capacity in Maharashtra or nearby states.
• Experience in sustainable, eco-friendly bamboo product lines
• Willingness to contribute at subsidized rates or as part of a CSR/social impact mandate

Part B — Warli Art Partners

Why We Are Issuing This EOI Surgana's Warli community carries one of India's most recognized tribal art traditions, yet the shift from ancestral practice to a structured, income-generating trade needs deliberate design. We are seeking partners who can help the Surgana Skills Academy build a Warli art livelihood trade — combining respect for the tradition's cultural roots with training design that makes it commercially viable for trainees. We are looking for partners who can contribute to one or more of the following:

• Curriculum & Trade Design — Structuring Warli art training into a teachable, skill-graded course for the Skills Academy
• Master Artisan Trainers — Deploying, or connecting us with, skilled Warli artists able to train youth in authentic technique
• Product Diversification — Adapting Warli art onto sellable formats such as textiles, home décor, stationery, wall art, and corporate gifting items
• Documentation & Preservation — Documenting Warli motifs, techniques, and oral history for training material and cultural archival
• Market & Exhibition Linkage — Connecting trained artists to exhibitions, retail, corporate gifting, or export opportunities

Objectives

• Establish a structured Warli art livelihood trade at the Surgana Skills Academy
• Preserve the authenticity and cultural integrity of Warli painting while building commercial skill
• Create sustainable income pathways for Warli youth, especially women, through art-based enterprise
• Build a long-term partnership that grows with the Skills Academy — not a one-off workshop

Who Can Apply

• Warli art organisations, collectives, or cultural preservation NGOs
• Individual master Warli artists and enthusiasts willing to train or mentor
• Design institutions or studios with craft documentation or product adaptation experience
• NGOs working in tribal art, craft-based livelihoods, or cultural heritage preservation

Eligibility Criteria

Mandatory:

• Demonstrated genuine practice of, or engagement with, Warli art (individuals or organisations)
• Willingness to engage in a structured, time-bound collaboration with defined deliverables
• Commitment to authenticity — training must respect and preserve traditional Warli technique and meaning
• Community-first approach, prioritising Warli artisans' ownership and livelihood outcomes

Preferred:

• Prior experience training youth or first-time learners in Warli art
• Presence or ability to travel to Surgana, Nashik district, for on-ground engagement
• Experience adapting traditional art onto commercial products
• Willingness to contribute pro-bono or at subsidised rates as part of a CSR/social impact mandate

Part C — High-Level Tailoring & Garment Design Partners

Why We Are Issuing This EOI Our existing Sewing Machine Operator and Handmade Accessories trades give trainees entry-level stitching skill, but many — especially women who complete the base course — are ready to progress into higher-value tailoring: garment construction, pattern-making, boutique-level finishing, and small-scale fashion enterprise. We are seeking partners who can help design and deliver this next tier of tailoring training at both Skills Academies. We are looking for partners who can contribute to one or more of the following:

• Advanced Curriculum Design — Developing a structured, higher-tier tailoring/garment construction curriculum (pattern-making, cutting, boutique stitching, finishing) that builds on the existing base-level course
• Trainer Deployment — Providing experienced tailoring/fashion trainers to deliver the advanced course
• Enterprise & Boutique Readiness — Training trainees in small-batch production, costing, and boutique/home-enterprise setup
• Equipment Support — Supporting access to higher-capability machines (overlock, interlock, embroidery) beyond basic sewing machines
• Placement & Market Linkage — Connecting trained tailors to boutiques, garment units, or enabling them to set up independent enterprises

Objectives

• Establish an advanced/high-level tailoring trade as a progression pathway above the existing base-level course
• Equip trainees, particularly women, with enterprise-ready garment construction and finishing skills
• Build placement and market linkages so advanced tailoring translates into sustained income
• Build a long-term partnership that grows the tailoring trade year on year across both Skills Academies

Who Can Apply

• Fashion and garment training institutes, and design colleges
• Boutique or fashion design studios with training/mentoring capacity
• NGOs with existing advanced tailoring, garment-making, or fashion enterprise programmes
• Sewing machine/equipment manufacturers or suppliers with a CSR or training mandate

Eligibility Criteria

Mandatory:

• Formally registered institution, studio, or organisation
• Demonstrated prior work in garment construction, fashion training, or advanced tailoring
• Willingness to engage in a structured, time-bound collaboration with defined deliverables
• Commitment to a trainee-first approach centred on employability and enterprise outcomes

Preferred:

• Prior experience training rural or tribal women in tailoring/fashion skills
• Presence or operational capacity in Madhya Pradesh or Maharashtra
• Experience setting up trainees in boutique or home-based enterprise
• Willingness to contribute pro-bono or at subsidised rates as part of a CSR/social impact mandate

What We Offer Collaborating Partners

• Access to an Active Skills Academy — two operational, block-level training centres with an existing trainee cohort and community trust already established
• Community Immersion — direct engagement with tribal and rural youth, most of them first-generation learners, in a live training environment
• Institutional Visibility — partner organisations credited in Kaushal Vikas Setu communications, training materials, and CSR reporting
• CSR & Social Impact Documentation — structured impact documentation to support partners' own CSR or social impact reporting needs
• Network Access — connection to the BharatCares ecosystem of NGOs, CSR partners, and government stakeholders
• Co-creation Opportunity — a genuine role in shaping how a new trade is introduced into the Skills Academy model, from curriculum through to market linkage

Process & Next Steps Step 1 — EOI Submission Interested organisations or individuals submit a short EOI response covering their profile, area of interest (bamboo / Warli / tailoring), prior relevant work, and proposed collaboration model. Step 2 — Review & Shortlisting The BharatCares programme team reviews all EOIs and shortlists partners based on relevance, capacity, and alignment with the Skills Academies' current needs. Shortlisted applicants will be contacted within 3 weeks of submission. Step 3 — Discovery Conversation A structured conversation between the shortlisted partner and the BharatCares team — and where possible, a visit to Baihar or Surgana — to understand the community context and co-develop the collaboration scope. Step 4 — Collaboration Agreement A formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) or collaboration agreement is signed, defining the scope, timeline, deliverables, and terms of the partnership. Step 5 — On-ground Engagement The collaboration begins — with the partner engaging directly with trainees and the BharatCares programme team at the relevant Skills Academy. Documents to Be Submitted with EOI

• Brief organisational or individual profile (2–3 pages or equivalent)
• Portfolio or work samples demonstrating relevant prior work (bamboo / Warli art / tailoring, as applicable)
• Proposed area and model of collaboration (as described in the relevant Part above)
• Names and profiles of key personnel, trainers, or artisans who would be involved
• Any prior work with tribal or rural communities, with references if available

For Queries & Submission We welcome conversations before EOI submission — if you would like to visit Baihar or Surgana, meet the trainees, or understand the programme context better before applying, please reach out. Palak Srivastava — [contact details removed]

Please fill the following google form: EOI for Trade & Livelihood Partners

Organisation: BharatCares

Listed on the SAMS-STC social-sector RFP board.