In 2012, the Chinese Government for the first time allocated 200 million yuan ($32 million) to finance non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

With this fund, 377 social work projects and more than 120 training programs were carried out, with 17,700 people trained and 1.85 million directly benefited, according to the NGOs Administration under the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Apart from the Central Government's input, these projects involved a total investment of 320 million yuan ($51 million), said the administration.

The Chinese Government has rolled out measures to boost the development of social organizations and bring their roles more fully into play.

In 2011, a pilot project designed to simplify the registration process for social organizations was launched. Under the pilot, social organizations may directly register with civil affairs authorities. It was previously stipulated that such organizations should find an administrative sponsor to supervise their activities as a precondition for registration.