Development Innovation Ventures from the U.S. Agency for International Development invests in original solutions to problems anywhere they operate in the world. Projects should focus on what USAID refers to as the ‘base of the pyramid,’ or people earning less than $2 a day.
Applications are accepted on a continual basis for 4 stages of funding. There is no matching requirement, but applicants are encouraged to develop other support, whether cash or in-kind.
Eligibility
This funding opportunity is open to applicants from anywhere in the world, including:
- Individuals
- Nonprofit and non-governmental organizations
- For profit businesses
- Government entities*
*Foreign government entities may only receive funding through a sub-grant arrangement with a non-governmental organization as the lead applicant.
Core Principles
All projects are expected to adhere to USAID’s core principles:
- Rigorous evidence of impact
- Cost-effectiveness
- A viable pathway to scale and sustainability
Funding Stages
Projects should apply for the funding stage most appropriate for the current phase of their program. Recipients of one stage do not automatically receive funding for subsequent stages. They must apply for each stage separately.
Stage 1: Pilot
Stage 1 projects may request up to $200,000 to conduct a pilot program to assess demand, impact, and viability. Projects at this stage should be past the idea and protype phase and ready to test.
Stage 2: Test and Position for Scale
Stage 2 projects may request up to $1.5 million to perform more intense analysis. The public sector should generate compelling evidence of cost-effectiveness; businesses should perform market analysis and expand operations to scale efforts.
Stage 3: Transition to Scale
Stage 3 projects may request up to $15 million to expand operations into new contexts and/or locations.
Stage 4: Evidence Generation
Stage 4 projects may request up to $1.5 million for research into common development approaches that lack persuasive evidence of their impact and/or cost-effectiveness. This could include randomized control trials.
