The DIV Fund is offering funding opportunities for organizations developing, testing, evaluating, and scaling innovative solutions that can meaningfully and measurably improve the lives of people living in poverty around the world.

Through its tiered, evidence-based funding model, the DIV Fund provides financial support to innovators and researchers at different stages of development. Funding is designed to help promising innovations move from early-stage real-world piloting to rigorous testing and, ultimately, large-scale implementation.

Depending on the maturity and evidence base of an innovation, successful applicants may receive funding of up to US$200,000 for Stage 1, US$500,000 for Stage 2, or US$1.5 million for Stage 3. In exceptional cases, Stage 2 funding may reach US$750,000.

The fund is deliberately open to innovations across sectors and does not limit applicants to a particular type of technology, product, service, policy, or development intervention. Instead, the central focus is whether a proposed solution has the potential to generate significant development impact in a cost-effective and sustainable way.

What Is the DIV Fund?

The DIV Fund is a tiered, evidence-based, open innovation fund focused on identifying and supporting solutions that have the potential to improve the lives of millions of people living in poverty.

Its approach is designed to function as a discovery engine for global development by building a pipeline of evidence-driven innovations capable of achieving impact at scale.

Rather than providing the same type or amount of funding to every applicant, the DIV Fund adjusts its funding requirements according to the stage of development of an innovation.

At the earlier stages, applicants are assessed primarily on the potential of their idea, theory of change, cost-effectiveness prospects, and ability to achieve scale. At later stages, applicants are expected to provide increasingly strong evidence that their innovation works, is cost-effective, and can be sustained at a large scale.

This creates three principal funding stages:

1. Stage 1 – Piloting
2. Stage 2 – Testing and Positioning for Scale
3. Stage 3 – Transitioning to Scale

Applicants do not necessarily have to begin at Stage 1. Organizations with innovations that already meet the requirements of a later stage may apply directly for that stage, provided they can demonstrate that they have credibly satisfied the relevant requirements of earlier stages.

What Does the DIV Fund Support?

The DIV Fund supports innovators and researchers that are piloting, rigorously testing, or scaling solutions capable of meaningfully and measurably improving people’s lives.

One of the fund’s defining characteristics is its broad interpretation of innovation.

An innovation does not necessarily have to be a completely new invention. It may include:

• A new product
• A service
• A policy
• A program
• A delivery model
• A new method of implementing an existing solution
• A process improvement
• An evidence-generation approach for an already widely used development intervention

The key consideration is whether the solution has real potential to generate impact at scale more affordably or efficiently than existing approaches.

This means applicants do not necessarily need to present a groundbreaking technological invention. A relatively simple change in the way an existing service is delivered may qualify if it can demonstrate the potential to generate significantly better development outcomes at scale.

Where Does the DIV Fund Operate?

The DIV Fund supports innovations addressing challenges in low- and middle-income countries, according to the World Bank’s income classifications.

The fund prioritizes proposals according to their expected social return and gives greater weight to improvements expected to benefit people with lower incomes.

Consequently, applicants should clearly demonstrate not only what their innovation does, but also who will benefit, how significant those benefits could be, and why the proposed intervention represents an effective use of resources.

Who Can Apply for DIV Fund Grants?

The DIV Fund accepts applications from a broad range of organizations.

Eligible applicants include:

• Non-profit organizations
• Social enterprises
• Universities
• Research institutions
• Technical assistance providers supporting government innovation
• Businesses
• Partnerships involving multiple types of organizations

However, individuals cannot apply directly. The fund specifically states that it is unable to support individuals.

Organizations that are public or legal entities but are uncertain about their eligibility are encouraged to contact the DIV Fund for clarification.

Geographic Eligibility

The opportunity is intended for organizations working on challenges in low- and middle-income countries as classified by the World Bank.

The source does not specify eligibility according to race, ethnicity, nationality, or continent. Eligibility is instead primarily linked to the organization type and the location or development context addressed by the proposed innovation.

Therefore, applicants from eligible countries should focus on demonstrating how their proposed solution addresses a significant development challenge affecting people living in poverty.

The Three Core Principles of DIV Fund Investment

Every DIV Fund application is assessed around three central principles:

1. Evidence of impact
2. Cost-effectiveness
3. Potential for durable scale

These principles become increasingly demanding as applicants progress through the three funding stages.

1. Evidence of Impact

The DIV Fund places significant emphasis on evidence.

Applicants are expected to present a credible theory of change explaining how their activities and intervention are expected to produce meaningful improvements in development outcomes.

The stronger the existing evidence supporting the theory of change, the stronger the application is likely to be.

The fund ultimately values outcomes such as

• Improved health
• Higher earnings
• Academic achievement
• Other meaningful improvements in people’s lives

Intermediate outcomes may also be considered where rigorous evidence already demonstrates their relationship to important development outcomes. For example, increasing vaccination rates may be relevant where there is already a strong causal evidence base connecting vaccination to improved health outcomes.

The DIV Fund distinguishes between correlation and causation. Rigorous evidence should demonstrate that an innovation caused measurable improvements rather than simply being associated with positive results.

2. Cost-Effectiveness

The second major principle is cost-effectiveness.

The DIV Fund is interested in innovations capable of generating greater impact per dollar than the status quo or viable alternatives.

Cost-effectiveness does not simply mean that an intervention is inexpensive.

An innovation may become more cost-effective by:

• Reducing its costs while maintaining impact
• Increasing its impact without proportionately increasing costs
• Reducing costs and increasing impact simultaneously

Applicants should therefore understand both the current cost of their intervention and how those costs are expected to change as the solution reaches larger numbers of people.

They should also explain the assumptions behind their cost projections and the evidence supporting their expected impact.

3. Potential for Durable Scale

The third principle is scale.

The DIV Fund generally defines “at scale” as improving the lives of at least one million people over ten years.

However, the fund may consider particularly compelling innovations capable of generating exceptionally large benefits for a somewhat smaller population.

Applicants must therefore think beyond the initial pilot.

They need to demonstrate:

• Who could eventually adopt the innovation
• How many people could benefit
• How the intervention would be financed
• Who would implement it
• What partnerships would be necessary
• How long-term operations would be sustained
• How the solution could continue growing without indefinite dependence on DIV Fund support

The fund accepts different pathways to scale, including public, commercial, and hybrid models.

DIV Fund Funding Stages

The DIV Fund offers three principal funding tiers corresponding to different stages of innovation development.

Stage 1: Piloting – Up to US$200,000

Stage 1 funding is designed for early-stage innovations that are ready for real-world testing.

The innovation must already be beyond the prototype stage. Ideas that remain purely conceptual or are still being developed in a laboratory are considered too early for DIV support.

Stage 1 projects are typically tested with at least hundreds or thousands of people, allowing organizations to determine whether the innovation works in a practical setting.

What Can Stage 1 Funding Support?

Potential activities include:

• Assessing demand
• Assessing willingness to pay
• Exploring alternative delivery models
• Conducting user testing
• Conducting market testing
• Documenting social outcomes
• Measuring real-world implementation costs
• Refining the innovation
• Establishing whether the model is viable in practice

By the end of a Stage 1 grant, the fund wants applicants to have a much clearer understanding of whether people will actually use the innovation, how it performs in real-world conditions, and whether it demonstrates enough promise to justify further investment.

Stage 1 Evidence Requirements

Stage 1 applicants are not required to have causal evidence of impact.

However, they must provide:

• A strong theory of change
• A compelling rationale for expected development impact
• A plan for collecting data
• A plan for analyzing that data
• A strategy for using evidence to test the assumptions underlying the theory of change

For innovations intended to scale through public or philanthropic funding, applicants should explain how the pilot will prepare the innovation for rigorous testing of causal impact and cost-effectiveness.

Commercially oriented innovations should focus on assessing customer demand, willingness to pay, and initial market viability.

Hybrid innovations must address the requirements applicable to both their public/philanthropic and commercial components.

Stage 1 Scale Expectations

Even at the pilot stage, applicants must demonstrate that their innovation has the potential to reach millions of people.

They should explain:

• How the innovation could eventually be financed
• Who might pay for it
• Who could adopt it
• Which organizations might implement it
• What partnerships may be required
• Whether relationships with potential partners already exist

Existing partnerships are not necessarily required at Stage 1, but applicants should demonstrate that they understand the ecosystem needed to achieve scale.

Stage 2: Testing and Positioning for Scale – Up to US$500,000

Stage 2 funding is designed for innovations that have already undergone successful pilot testing and are ready for more rigorous evaluation or market validation.

The general funding ceiling is US$500,000, although in rare and especially compelling cases, the DIV Fund may consider awards of up to US$750,000.

At this stage, applicants should be prepared to demonstrate whether their innovation:

• Meaningfully improves people’s lives
• Has measurable impact
• Is cost-effective
• Is market viable where relevant
• Has a credible pathway to scale

Stage 2 grants may also support operational expansion designed to position an innovation for future scale.

Stage 2 and Rigorous Evidence

For innovations following a public pathway to scale, applicants without existing rigorous causal evidence may be expected to generate such evidence during the DIV Fund award.

The initial application may require information about the proposed study design, including:

• Treatment and comparison groups
• Unit of assignment
• Power calculations
• Minimum detectable effects
• Primary outcomes

The evaluation should be capable of providing credible information about both impact and cost.

A credible counterfactual is required. Examples include a randomized controlled trial or an appropriately designed quasi-experimental approach such as a regression discontinuity design.

Commercial Pathway at Stage 2

Commercially scaling innovations do not necessarily need causal evidence of impact at this stage.

Instead, they should demonstrate:

• A credible theory of change
• Evidence supporting the expected development impact
• Plans for collecting usage data
• Appropriate measures of social outcomes
• Evidence of market viability
• A plan to validate market viability during the grant period

Applicants should demonstrate that the innovation could potentially generate sufficient revenue to cover its fully loaded costs at scale.

This includes costs such as

• Customer acquisition
• Distribution
• Headquarters operations
• Capital costs
• Depreciation
• Product or service delivery

Applicants may also demonstrate market viability by showing that the innovation could reasonably attract commercial capital on market terms by the end of the Stage 2 period.

Hybrid Pathway at Stage 2

Hybrid innovations combine commercial revenue with public or philanthropic subsidy.

Applicants following this model must demonstrate that the subsidy component is justified by the additional social value it generates.

In other words, the applicant needs to establish both commercial viability and a compelling social justification for the portion of funding that cannot be covered by commercial revenue.

Stage 2 Cost-Effectiveness

Applicants should either have already assessed the cost-effectiveness of their intervention or provide a credible plan for doing so during the grant period.

They should identify:

• Current costs
• Projected costs
• Major cost drivers
• Expected costs at scale
• Impact measurements
• Cost-per-impact comparisons
• How the innovation compares with alternatives

For commercially oriented innovations, relevant commercial and financial information should also be presented.

Stage 2 Partnerships and Scale

Stage 2 applicants must explain what financial resources will be needed to scale their innovation and how those resources will ultimately be secured.

Applications are stronger when organizations already have relationships with potential scaling partners.

Examples may include:

• Distribution partnerships
• Large customer orders
• Government relationships
• Memoranda of Understanding
• Relationships with long-term funders
• Implementation partnerships

The goal is to demonstrate that the innovation is moving beyond proof of concept toward a realistic scale-up strategy.

Stage 3: Transitioning to Scale—Up to US$1.5 Million

Stage 3 represents the DIV Fund’s highest funding tier, with grants of up to US$1.5 million.

This stage is intended for innovations that have already demonstrated strong evidence or market viability and are ready to address the operational challenges involved in moving toward widespread implementation.

For public or philanthropic scaling, applicants should already have:

• Rigorous causal evidence of impact
• A credible counterfactual
• Evidence that the intervention is cost-effective at scale

For commercial scaling, applicants should already have demonstrated market viability.

Hybrid applicants should demonstrate the appropriate combination of impact evidence and commercial viability.

What Can Stage 3 Funding Support?

Stage 3 funding may support activities such as

• Adapting an innovation to new contexts
• Accelerating scale-up
• Providing technical assistance for public-sector implementation
• Testing whether an innovation’s impact remains effective in new settings
• Expanding successful approaches into new markets
• Addressing operational barriers to growth

The ultimate objective is for the innovation to operate at scale in a way that is financially sustainable over the long term.

Stage 3 Evidence Requirements

For public or philanthropic pathways, applicants must demonstrate rigorous causal evidence and a convincing case that the intervention is cost-effective at scale.

Commercial applicants should already meet the relevant market-viability requirements.

The DIV Fund also expects applicants to clearly explain why its investment would generate a high social return.

For example, DIV support might:

• Unlock additional capital
• Enable entry into new markets
• Remove barriers to expansion
• Accelerate adoption
• Enable greater scale
• Increase the overall social impact of an existing solution

Stage 3 funding is therefore intended to be catalytic rather than simply financing ordinary ongoing operations.

Stage 3: Cost-Effectiveness and Sustainability

Stage 3 applicants should have a strong understanding of the cost of delivering their innovation.

They should be able to estimate:

• Cost per person reached
• Cost per outcome achieved
• Cost structure at scale
• Factors affecting unit costs
• Expected changes in costs as the innovation expands

Applicants should also demonstrate that the cost structure can support large-scale implementation.

This could occur because the innovation is already inexpensive enough to remain cost-effective at scale or because there is concrete evidence that costs will decrease as production, distribution, or implementation expands.

Public, Commercial and Hybrid Pathways to Scale

An important feature of the DIV Fund is that it does not require every innovation to follow the same route to scale.

Public Pathway

An innovation follows a public pathway when it is expected to scale through:

• Government funding
• Donor funding
• Philanthropic funding
• Public-sector systems

Applicants using this pathway should explain how governments or philanthropic systems could ultimately adopt, finance, and sustain the intervention.

Commercial Pathway

A commercial pathway involves scaling through revenue generated from:

• Customer payments
• Advertising
• Commercial investment
• Other private-market mechanisms

Applicants need to establish that the business model can eventually support the full cost of the innovation at scale.

Hybrid Pathway

A hybrid pathway combines commercial revenue with public or philanthropic funding.

For example, customers may cover part of the cost while a subsidy covers the remainder.

The applicant must demonstrate both that customers are willing and able to pay the commercial portion and that the subsidy creates additional social value that justifies the remaining support.

How the DIV Fund Assesses Expected Social Return

Across all funding stages, the DIV Fund seeks to maximize expected social returns.

This means it considers the overall benefit expected from investing in an innovation relative to the size of the proposed grant.

The assessment considers factors such as

• Impact per person
• Unit costs
• Potential scale
• Probability of achieving scale
• How DIV funding could increase the likelihood of successful adoption
• The long-term social benefits of the intervention

An innovation may therefore be attractive even if its initial pilot appears only moderately cost-effective, provided there is a credible possibility that DIV support could help it achieve very large-scale adoption.

For example, a solution producing a modest benefit per person could generate enormous total social value if it eventually reaches tens or hundreds of millions of people.

This illustrates why applicants should not focus exclusively on the immediate size of their pilot. They should explain how the proposed investment could unlock much greater impact over time.

Focus on People Living in Poverty

The DIV Fund specifically seeks to support people living in poverty.

When assessing income-related interventions, the fund considers improvements relative to people’s existing living standards rather than simply looking at the absolute dollar value of the income increase.

This means an increase in income can carry greater value when it represents a larger improvement in the living standards of a poorer person.

For health interventions, comparable health improvements are valued similarly across populations, while the overall disease burden and number of lives that could plausibly be improved or saved are important considerations.

Applicants should therefore clearly explain:

• Who benefits from the innovation
• The socioeconomic circumstances of beneficiaries
• The expected magnitude of the improvement
• How many people could ultimately benefit
• Why the intervention represents an efficient use of resources

Grant Duration

DIV Fund awards may have a maximum duration of five years.

Applicants are encouraged to propose a timeline that aligns realistically with their objectives and the development stage of their innovation.

The fund also emphasizes catalytic funding. Applicants should clearly explain why they are seeking DIV support at the current point in their development and how the grant would enable results that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to achieve.

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Why This Opportunity Could Be Valuable for Development Innovators

The DIV Fund provides a distinctive funding pathway because it can support an innovation as it progresses through different stages of development.

Rather than focusing solely on established organizations or fully proven interventions, the fund can support:

• Early real-world pilots
• Rigorous evidence generation
• Market validation
• Cost-effectiveness analysis
• Scale preparation
• Adaptation to new contexts
• Public-sector adoption
• Commercial expansion
• Evidence generation for widely used approaches

This creates an opportunity for organizations to obtain funding appropriate to their current level of development while demonstrating progressively stronger evidence of impact.

Visit HERE for more information about the DIV Fund Grants 2026.

Key Funding Amounts at a Glance

• Stage 1 – Piloting: Up to US$200,000
• Stage 2 – Testing and Positioning for Scale: Up to US$500,000
• Exceptional Stage 2 cases: Up to US$750,000
• Stage 3 – Transitioning to Scale: Up to US$1.5 million
• Maximum award period: Up to five years

The funding amounts are ceilings rather than guaranteed awards. Applicants are encouraged to request only the amount genuinely needed for their proposed activities. Co-funding is valued where appropriate, although it is not mandatory.

What Applicants Should Demonstrate

Organizations considering the DIV Fund should ensure their proposal clearly addresses the following areas:

1. The problem: What significant development challenge is being addressed?
2. The innovation: What is the proposed product, service, policy, program, delivery model, or process improvement?
3. Theory of change: Why should the innovation produce meaningful development outcomes?
4. Evidence: What existing evidence supports the proposed approach?
5. Impact measurement: How will the organization determine whether the intervention actually works?
6. Cost-effectiveness: How does the intervention compare with existing alternatives in terms of cost and impact?
7. Scale: How could the innovation eventually reach at least one million people or generate an exceptionally large benefit for a somewhat smaller population?
8. Financing: Who will ultimately pay for the intervention?
9. Partnerships: Which governments, businesses, funders, distributors, implementers, or other organizations will be required?
10. Sustainability: How will the innovation continue operating after DIV Fund support ends?
11. Catalytic role: Why is DIV funding particularly important at this stage, and what would the funding unlock that would otherwise not happen?

These considerations are especially important because the DIV Fund evaluates proposals based on their potential to generate substantial and durable social returns rather than simply assessing whether an intervention is innovative.

Deadline

No specific application deadline is stated in the provided DIV Fund Request for Proposals.

Applicants should therefore consult the official DIV Fund application information for current submission procedures and any applicable application timelines.

Conclusion

The DIV Fund Request for Proposals presents a significant funding opportunity for organizations developing evidence-based solutions to poverty and development challenges in low- and middle-income countries.

With funding of up to US$1.5 million, the opportunity can support innovations at multiple stages, from early real-world pilots to rigorous testing and large-scale implementation.

The fund’s approach is centered on three fundamental questions: Does the innovation work? Is it cost-effective? And can it achieve durable scale?

Organizations applying should therefore go beyond describing an interesting idea. They should demonstrate a clear theory of change, explain how impact will be measured, provide realistic cost projections, identify a credible pathway to scale, and show how the intervention can ultimately become financially sustainable.

For early-stage innovations, Stage 1 provides an opportunity to establish real-world viability. For innovations with successful pilots, Stage 2 offers support for rigorous testing, market validation, and preparation for scale. For proven solutions ready for widespread implementation, Stage 3 provides substantial funding to overcome operational barriers and transition toward sustainable scale.

Ultimately, the DIV Fund is particularly suited to nonprofits, social enterprises, universities, research institutions, businesses, technical assistance providers, and partnerships that have a promising solution capable of improving the lives of large numbers of people living in poverty and that can make a compelling case for measurable, cost-effective, and sustainable impact.

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