Development Innovation Ventures Fund
Stage-based funding for innovations with evidence, cost-effectiveness and potential to scale.
Rolling applicationsShare this opportunity
Is this worth your time?
Prioritise this only when you can connect an innovation to measurable poverty outcomes, cost-effectiveness and large-scale adoption. A broad social mission or an attractive technology alone is not enough.
Ubunifu editorial assessment, not an organiser eligibility decision.A stronger fit when...
Legally incorporated organisations, including startups and social enterprises, working on poverty outcomes in low- and middle-income countries. The current FAQ specifically requires a post-prototype solution already tested or used with real users, even for Stage 1; being ready to begin a first-ever real-world test is insufficient.
Pause or look elsewhere when...
Individuals without an incorporated entity, pre-prototype or never-deployed ideas, general operating-support requests, or initiatives without strong scale potential. The FAQ lists general incubators and accelerators as poor fits. Beneficiaries need their own qualifying innovation, not merely membership of a programme.
What the support actually means
Pilot awards may be up to USD 200,000. Later tiers finance testing and scale with stronger evidence requirements. Awards are milestone-based; the ceiling does not establish the amount, payment timing or unrestricted use of funds.
Costs and commitments: Fees not stated. Grants are milestone-based.
Your costs, time and commitments
Applications are rolling. The Request for Proposals values co-funding but does not make it compulsory. The official FAQ says review generally takes several months, with approximately another month for grant-agreement diligence if selected. Do not rely on this route for an urgent cash shortfall.
How selection or access works
Initial review is followed by detailed diligence, an expert decision panel and pre-award checks. Evidence of impact, value for money and durable scale are assessed. The fund expects genuine applicant judgment, not unowned AI-generated proposals.
Preparation and application steps
Get these ready first
Preparation advice; the organiser determines mandatory documents.
- Explain who benefits, the causal pathway and the evidence behind it.
- Estimate unit costs and compare the approach with realistic alternatives.
- Prepare a pilot learning plan and a plausible public, commercial or hybrid scale pathway.
Your next steps
- Read the current fund's Request for Proposals, not an old USAID notice.
- Choose the stage matching actual progress.
- Use the online portal and keep fuller budgets and partnership evidence ready for diligence.
Questions to confirm and guide sources
Questions to confirm before committing
- The award's milestones, eligible costs and disbursement arrangements.
- The level of evaluation needed for your particular pathway and stage.
Sources behind this decision guide
Reviewed 2026-11-05. Guidance is not a guarantee that an application window remains open.
Full programme facts and official sources
Who this is for
Businesses, social enterprises, nonprofits and research organisations addressing poverty in low- and middle-income countries, with strong scale potential.
- Stage
- Pilot through scale
- Sector
- Poverty interventions
- Support type
- Evidence-based grant
- Costs and commitments
- Fees not stated. Grants are milestone-based.
- Deadline
- Rolling applications under the current fund's rules.
- As published
- Rolling applications under the current fund's rules.
- Format
- Eligible-country implementation.
- Event dates
- Milestones and delivery dates depend on the award.
- Travel and visa support
- Not a travel programme.
- Documents and preparation
- Initial online proposal; detailed budgets, study designs and partnership evidence may follow diligence.
- How to apply
- Read the current RFP, select the appropriate stage and use the DIV Fund portal.
- Applicant route
- Choose a justified funding stage under the current DIV Fund RFP.
Official sources
DIV Fund official application guidance Source checked 2026-11-05
DIV Fund request for proposals Source checked 2026-11-05
Check before committing
Use current DIV Fund rules, not historical USAID DIV notices. Applications must reflect the applicant's own evidence and judgement.
Listing, saving and community ratings do not verify the organiser, guarantee eligibility or promise selection. Check the official terms before committing time or money.