DIV Fund Grant for Global Development Innovations

The DIV Fund operates as the independent continuation of USAID's Development Innovation Ventures programme. It is led by Sasha Gallant (CEO, formerly head of DIV at USAID), Jeff Brown, and Nobel laureate Michael Kremer. The fund serves as a research and development engine for global development, supporting evidence-based innovations that can deliver cost-effective, large-scale improvements in low- and middle-income countries, including India.

Funding is provided through three tiered, milestone-based grant stages. Stage 1 Pilot grants, up to ₹1.86 crore, support real-world pilots to assess feasibility, user demand, and impact potential. Stage 2 Test & Position for Scale grants, up to ₹4.65 crore (occasionally ₹6.98 crore), fund rigorous impact evaluations or market validation. Stage 3 Scale grants, up to ₹13.95 crore, accelerate the expansion of validated innovations with demonstrated evidence of impact and cost-effectiveness.

In addition to capital, grantees receive access to evaluation expertise and a global network of researchers, evaluators, and scaling partners. All grants are non-dilutive, with no equity taken, and the fund explicitly does not provide debt or other financial instruments. Funding is milestone-based and can be used flexibly for programme implementation, data collection, evaluation, and key personnel.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year, with no fixed deadline. Indian startups, social enterprises, nonprofits, and research organisations working on solutions for people in poverty across health, agriculture, education, financial inclusion, energy, and climate adaptation are eligible. Applicants need not begin at Stage 1; they may apply directly to the stage that matches their innovation's maturity.

Review the Request for Proposals first to verify alignment with the programme and the appropriate funding stage. Applications are submitted through the online portal and are accepted throughout the year on a rolling basis. Each submission is initially assessed against three core criteria: demonstrated impact, cost-effectiveness, and potential for lasting scale. Applications that show promise move to a comprehensive diligence phase, which involves input from external reviewers. Funding decisions are taken by expert panels that meet multiple times annually. Applicants who succeed then proceed to the pre-award stage, which includes financial diligence and the signing of a milestone-based grant agreement. From initial submission to final decision, the entire process generally spans several months.

Applications are reviewed continuously as they arrive, with each submission judged on three factors: demonstrated impact, cost-effectiveness, and the likelihood of achieving lasting scale that reaches more than 1 million people. Shortlisted applications move into a thorough due diligence stage involving external reviewers, and funding choices are made by expert panels that meet multiple times annually.

Applicants may submit directly to the stage that corresponds to their innovation's current level of development: Pilot (Stage 1), Test & Position (Stage 2), or Scale (Stage 3).