Financial Assistance For Promotion Of Guru-Shishya Parampara (Repertory Grant)

What is the Repertory Grant scheme?

Financial Assistance for Promotion of Guru-Shishya Parampara, commonly called the Repertory Grant, is a scheme of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. The Repertory Grant supports registered cultural organisations that keep the traditional guru-shishya (teacher-disciple) system alive by training disciples in the performing arts under an accomplished guru.

According to the Ministry of Culture, the scheme pays a monthly honorarium to the organisation for its guru and artistes. The guru or director receives Rs 15,000 per month, and each adult artiste (18 years and above) receives up to Rs 10,000 per month. Younger disciples are paid on age slabs, so a repertory can train children alongside adults.

Key features

• Central scheme administered by the Ministry of Culture.
• Monthly honorarium paid to the organisation for its guru and disciples.
• Covers all genres of performing arts; dance, music, theatre, folk, and rare or vanishing art forms.
• Structured to help a repertory grow from a small unit into a full ensemble.

The scheme's purpose is to sustain living traditions of performance training that markets alone will not support, particularly rare and vanishing art forms that depend on direct transmission from guru to disciple.

Who is eligible for the Repertory Grant?

An organisation can apply if it:

• Is a registered cultural organisation training disciples under a guru.
• Works in any genre of performing arts; dance, music, theatre, folk, and rare or vanishing forms.
• Has a repertoire of adequate number and quality.
• Has a record of performances on an all-India basis.

Who cannot apply:

• Individual artists cannot apply. The honorarium is paid to an organisation running a guru-and-artistes repertory, not to a solo performer. Individual artists are served by separate Ministry of Culture fellowship and scholarship schemes.
• Organisations that are not registered, or that lack an adequate repertoire and an all-India performance record, are not eligible.
• Organisations that cannot meet the renewal obligation — staging at least two productions a year, one of them entirely new; will not be able to continue in the scheme.

How much does the Repertory Grant provide?

The honorarium is paid monthly on the following slabs, according to the Ministry of Culture guidelines:

A new organisation begins with one guru and two artistes. It can expand gradually up to one guru and eighteen artistes across all disciplines, but annual growth cannot exceed 100% of the existing strength. This staged growth lets a repertory build capacity while demonstrating sustained performance activity.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the Repertory Grant

1. Confirm the applicant is a registered cultural organisation with a guru, disciples, an adequate repertoire and an all-India performance record.
2. Obtain a recommendation from a State Government, State Akademi, the Sangeet Natak Akademi, or the National School of Drama.
3. Submit the application online through the National School of Drama grant portal at grant.nsd.gov.in before the advertised deadline, attaching the registration certificate, guru-and-artiste roster with ages, and performance record.
4. The Ministry of Culture scrutinises the applications and sanctions the honorarium; sanctioned organisations must then meet the annual production requirement to continue.

Help and where to check details

The scheme is administered by the Ministry of Culture, and applications are handled through the National School of Drama. For queries, the Section Officer (P-Arts) can be reached on 011-24642137 between 3:00 and 4:00 PM, Tuesday to Friday. Because grant amounts and the roster ceiling are revised in updated guidelines from time to time, read the current-year guidelines on the Ministry portal and confirm the application window before applying.