NEW DELHI: The Ford Foundation, no stranger to controversy for supporting liberal causes around the world, may find itself at the receiving end of some tough questions in India. The government is looking askance at some of its activities, which include giving money to organisations that are perceived to be working against the public interest, according to officials.About $5 million in grants by the Ford Foundation, arguably the biggest such international funding agency, have been blocked by the Indian government in the past few months, top officials told ET on condition of anonymity. The ostensible reason is that the recipient non-governmental organisations (NGOs) haven’t filed annual reports and balance sheets with the home ministry. This also includes about $100,000 in grants to the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS).“Action against Ford Foundation is under consideration and likely to be taken soon,” said one official. “It is expected that full procedure and due process, similar to the action against Greenpeace, is under consideration.”The Narendra Modi government has suspended the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, or FCRA, licence that allows Greenpeace India to get funds from overseas.The suspension of Greenpeace’s FCRA licence came after the government prevented a member of the organisation from travelling to the UK to speak to lawmakers there about the rights of indigenous communities. NGOs have been on their guard after a leaked 2014 Intelligence Bureau report said such organisations were creating hurdles to development.Greenpeace International has accused the government of harassment. The government is examining how the Ford Foundation grants are being utilised, said the person cited above.The Ford Foundation doesn’t see anything unusual in the time being taken for grant authorisation. “Regarding government approvals of Ford Foundation grants in India, this process has been in place for decades, and in our experience it is not unusual for these thoughtful approvals to take some time,” a spokesperson said in an email. “All our work with organisations in India is transparent and readily available on our website. The online grants database goes back to 2006, and prior to that our work is listed in our annual reports.”The home ministry didn’t respond to questions. To be sure, the foundation has been on the radar of Indian intelligence agencies for decades, on account of which the finance ministry was mandated to clear each grant that it made to NGOs. This scrutiny intensified after it became known that the Anna Hazare-led anti-corruption movement of 2011 got a boost from the foundation with Arvind Kejriwal’s NGO Kabir getting about $400,000. Kabir didn’t respond to queries.Home ministry officials cited the Gujarat government’s complaint that the foundation is interfering with the judicial system of the country and working against communal harmony. This is part of Gujarat’s complaint against Teesta Setalvad and Javed Anand, activists who have been seeking justice for the victims of the 2002 Gujarat riots. The organisations that the couple run — Sabrang Trust and Sabrang Communication and Publishing Pvt Ltd — have received payments from the Ford Foundation. The trust received $250,000 between 2009 and 2013 by way of grants while Sabrang Communication has been paid consultancy fees, Anand said.AGujarat Crime Investigation Department (CID) report said the funds were used for what it called “highly questionable activities… all bordering on if not outright political”.The funds were used to keep “the 2002 riots issue alive in public memory” and to fund litigation. Gujarat has asked for investigations into possible FCRA violations by the foundation. It also wanted the home ministry to examine the funding of Sabrang Trust and another linked NGO, Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP).The Gujarat government also said the NGOs functioned as proxy offices for the Ford Foundation. Anand refuted the allegations. “Sabrang Trust did not engage in filing any case in any court or use Ford Foundation grant for the purpose,” he said in an email.“Legal aid to ensure justice to the victims of communal mass crimes (including Gujarat 2002) was and remains an activity of Citizens for Justice and Peace. CJP has never received any grant from Ford Foundation.”The Gujarat CID also said the foundation had asked Sabrang to “identify 100 journalists in the print and electronic, English and vernacular media to supply them with material for their stories”.This was entirely legitimate and didn’t constitute political interference in any manner, Anand said.“As part of its documentation and dissemination service, online and through emails, Sabrang Trust also sought to identify journalists reporting/writing on communal and caste issues to offer them if interested backgrounders, compilation of news and views, etc, on the subject as reference material,” he said.This was based on information that was freely available, Anand added. The Ford Foundation said it was aware of the inquiry by Gujarat Police into financial management at Sabrang.“We have responded swiftly and thoroughly to inquiries from the police regarding past foundation funding for Sabrang. We have not heard from any government authorities beyond this,” the spokesperson said. “The foundation does not currently have a relationship with Sabrang or its principals. But we do have a long and compelling record of supporting the aspirations of the Indian state, its people, and its institutions, in keeping with our work on behalf of fairness, opportunity, and human dignity around the world.”The $100,000 TISS grant that’s been blocked is meant for the School of Habitat Studies, which submitted a proposal on people’s participation in urban infrastructure development two years ago.“We have no issues with this delay since grants from government and other sources come late — they take time to sort out internal issues,” said S Parasuraman, director of TISS. “Ford Foundation does not give any yearly grant — we seek funds for research projects. No money has been released yet for the proposal submitted.”Parasuraman made clear that funding doesn’t mean being able to dictate terms. “No agency can influence our work, and we normally go by evidence,” he said. “We do not accept money from organisations that may impose conditions.”The Ford Foundation seeks to “address persistent poverty by empowering socially marginalised groups and improving government policies”, according to its website. It also promotes “transparent, effective and accountable government” besides funding research and public policy analysis.Its board of trustees include World Wide Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee and Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy.