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§ Grant
Grant program for innovators, researchers & orgs, funding solutions to development challenges with rigorous evidence.
DIV provides up to $15M across three stages to social enterprises, startups, NGOs, and researchers worldwide developing and scaling solutions to global development challenges through evidence-based innovation.
Organizations worldwide in any development sector. Stage 1 for pilot testing, Stage 2 for evidence building, Stage 3 for scaling. Social enterprises, startups, NGOs, and researchers from any country qualify.
Stage 1: up to $200K for pilots. Stage 2: up to $1.5M for rigorous evidence. Stage 3: up to $15M for scaling proven solutions. Rigorous evaluation methods often required.
Apply through DIV's online portal during application windows. Open-topic submissions describing your solution, evidence of impact, cost-effectiveness, and scaling strategy. Rolling review process.
Mobile agricultural services, water purification, solar lighting, digital financial services, and diagnostic tools reaching millions across Africa, Asia, and Latin America with national-scale deployment.
USAID Development Innovation Ventures, co-founded by Nobel Laureate Michael Kremer, is an open innovation grant program administered by the United States government to fund breakthrough solutions addressing global development challenges. Targeting social enterprises, startups, NGOs, and researchers, the initiative accepts rolling applications across any sector to test and scale cost-effective innovations globally. Proposals are rigorously evaluated based on evidence of impact, cost-effectiveness, and viable pathways to scale through commercial markets or public sector integration. Applicants can secure tiered funding through fixed awards, including up to $200,000 for proof of concept, $1,500,000 for testing, and $15 million for scaling, alongside separate evidence generation grants. Since its 2010 inception, the program has impacted over 100 million lives while funding notable entities like Dimagi, Innovations for Poverty Action, and the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab.
USAID Development Innovation Ventures (DIV) provides up to $15 million across three funding stages to social enterprises, startups, NGOs, and researchers worldwide who are developing and testing solutions to global development challenges. DIV operates like a venture fund within the U.S. Agency for International Development, using a tiered funding model that provides small grants for testing promising ideas and larger investments for scaling proven solutions. The program is open to innovators from any country and any sector.
Social enterprises, startups, NGOs, and researchers worldwide are eligible. Applicants can be based in any country and work in any sector relevant to international development, including health, agriculture, education, energy access, financial inclusion, and governance. DIV accepts applications from organizations at three stages: Stage 1 for pilot testing (proof of concept), Stage 2 for rigorous evidence building, and Stage 3 for scaling solutions with strong evidence of impact and cost-effectiveness.
Stage 1 provides up to $200,000 for pilot testing and proof of concept. Stage 2 provides up to $1.5 million for building rigorous evidence of impact. Stage 3 provides up to $15 million for scaling solutions with demonstrated cost-effectiveness and evidence of impact. DIV emphasizes rigorous evaluation, often requiring randomized controlled trials or quasi-experimental methods. Beyond funding, DIV provides access to USAID's global development network and technical expertise.
Applications are submitted through DIV's online portal, which operates on a rolling basis with periodic application windows. Proposals must describe the development problem, proposed solution, evidence of impact, cost-effectiveness analysis, and scaling strategy. DIV evaluates applications on three criteria: evidence of impact, cost-effectiveness, and potential for scale. The review process involves internal assessment and external expert evaluation. Open-topic applications are accepted, meaning DIV does not prescribe specific sectors or technologies.
DIV has funded innovations spanning global development challenges, including mobile-based agricultural advisory services, affordable water purification systems, solar-powered lighting for off-grid communities, digital financial services for the unbanked, and low-cost diagnostic tools for tropical diseases. Funded innovations have reached millions of beneficiaries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, with several scaling to national-level deployment.