The Development Innovation Ventures (DIV Fund) is now Accepting Applications from Organisations with Evidence-Backed Solutions Tackling Poverty across Low- and Middle-income Countries.​

The DIV Fund is a global innovation funding mechanism that supports evidence-based solutions designed to improve the lives of millions of people living in poverty. Through a tiered financing model, the organization invests in innovations with strong potential for measurable impact, cost-effectiveness, and long-term scalability across low- and middle-income countries.

Operating as an open innovation fund, DIV identifies, tests, and scales breakthrough development solutions across sectors including health, education, climate, governance, livelihoods, sanitation, financial inclusion, and humanitarian response.

What Is the DIV Fund?

The DIV Fund serves as a global development discovery engine focused on identifying innovations capable of generating large-scale social impact. The fund supports innovators and researchers who are piloting, rigorously testing, and scaling practical solutions to persistent development challenges.

Unlike traditional grant programs focused only on implementation, DIV prioritizes:

• Evidence-backed interventions
• Measurable development outcomes
• Cost-effectiveness analysis
• Long-term sustainability
• Scalable delivery systems

The organization uses a structured funding model that balances innovation risk with increasing evidence requirements at each funding stage.

Core Mission of the DIV Fund

The central mission of the DIV Fund is to maximize the social return on investment by funding innovations that can:

• Improve lives at large scale
• Deliver measurable impact
• Operate more efficiently than existing approaches
• Sustain themselves financially over time

The fund supports innovations capable of reaching at least one million people over ten years, with a strong preference for interventions benefiting low-income populations.

What Counts as Innovation?

The DIV Fund takes a broad approach to innovation. Eligible innovations are not limited to technology or physical inventions.

Examples include:

• Service delivery models
• Public policy innovations
• Community programs
• Financial systems
• Operational improvements
• Educational interventions
• Health delivery mechanisms
• Market-based development solutions

An innovation may involve:

• A completely new solution
• A new way of delivering an existing intervention
• A process improvement that unlocks efficiency or impact

The focus remains on scalable outcomes rather than novelty alone.

Who Can Apply?

The DIV Fund accepts applications from a wide range of institutions involved in development and innovation.

Eligible applicants include:

• Nonprofit organizations
• Social enterprises
• Universities
• Research institutions
• Businesses
• Technical assistance providers
• Multi-sector partnerships

The fund does not support individual applicants directly.

Geographic Focus

The DIV Fund supports projects operating in:

• Low-income countries
• Lower-middle-income countries
• Upper-middle-income countries

These classifications follow World Bank income categories. Priority is given to innovations that generate significant benefits for people living in poverty.

DIV Fund’s Three Core Principles

Every proposal submitted to the DIV Fund is evaluated against three foundational criteria:

1. Evidence of Impact

Applicants must demonstrate that their innovation can create measurable improvements in people’s lives.

The fund prioritizes:

• Rigorous causal evidence
• Strong theories of change
• Demonstrated development outcomes
• Reliable evaluation methods

Examples of valued outcomes include:

• Improved health
• Increased income
• Educational achievement
• Reduced emissions
• Lower tax evasion
• Higher vaccination rates

2. Cost-Effectiveness

The DIV Fund supports innovations capable of delivering higher impact per dollar compared to existing alternatives.

Assessment areas include:

• Operational efficiency
• Unit cost analysis
• Scalability of costs
• Impact-to-cost ratio
• Financial sustainability

Applicants are expected to clearly explain:

• Current costs
• Future projected costs
• Key cost drivers
• Comparative value against alternatives

3. Potential for Durable Scale

The fund prioritizes innovations capable of sustaining impact at large scale without indefinite grant dependency.

Scaling pathways may include:

• Government systems
• Philanthropic financing
• Commercial revenue models
• Hybrid financing structures

The organization heavily weighs long-term scalability in its investment decisions.

DIV Fund Grant Stages

The DIV Fund operates through three structured funding stages.

Stage 1: Piloting

Funding: Up to US$200,000

Stage 1 supports early-stage innovations ready for real-world pilot testing.

Typical activities include:

• User testing
• Market validation
• Demand assessment
• Delivery model experimentation
• Initial implementation testing

Key expectations:

• Strong theory of change
• Early operational viability
• Initial evidence collection plans
• Potential for future scale

Projects must already be beyond the idea or prototype stage.

Stage 2: Testing and Positioning for Scale

Funding: Up to US$500,000

Stage 2 supports innovations that have completed successful pilot testing and are ready for rigorous validation.

Focus areas include:

• Rigorous impact evaluations
• Market viability testing
• Expansion planning
• Cost-effectiveness analysis
• Operational refinement

Applicants are expected to demonstrate:

• Credible evaluation methodologies
• Strong implementation systems
• Clear scaling pathways
• Evidence-generation capacity

Exceptional proposals may receive up to US$750,000.

Stage 3: Transitioning to Scale

Funding: Up to US$1.5 Million

Stage 3 supports proven innovations moving toward large-scale implementation.

Supported activities include:

• Geographic expansion
• Government integration
• Public-sector adoption
• Scaling operations
• Technical assistance

Applicants must already demonstrate:

• Rigorous causal evidence
• Market viability or policy adoption potential
• Strong cost-effectiveness data
• Sustainable long-term financing models

The goal is to achieve durable impact at national or international scale.

Public, Commercial, and Hybrid Scaling Models

The DIV Fund evaluates innovations according to their proposed scaling pathway.

Public Pathway

Innovations scaling through:

• Governments
• Donors
• Philanthropic systems

Commercial Pathway

Innovations scaling through:

• Customer payments
• Revenue generation
• Market demand

Hybrid Pathway

Innovations combining:

• Commercial revenue
• Subsidies or donor support

Each model is assessed according to tailored evaluation criteria.

Why the DIV Fund Matters

The DIV Fund fills a critical gap in global development financing by supporting high-potential innovations before they reach mainstream adoption.

Its model encourages:

• Evidence-driven development
• Strategic risk-taking
• Long-term sustainability
• Scalable poverty reduction solutions

By prioritizing measurable impact and financial sustainability, the organization helps accelerate innovations capable of transforming millions of lives globally.

Conclusion

The DIV Fund stands out as one of the most influential innovation financing mechanisms in international development. Its evidence-based, tiered funding structure enables innovators to test, validate, and scale impactful solutions addressing poverty across the developing world.

Through its focus on rigorous evidence, cost-effectiveness, and sustainable scale, the DIV Fund continues to support transformative development initiatives capable of generating lasting global impact.

VISIT OFFICIAL WEBSITE TO APPLY

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Disclaimer: Global South Opportunities (GSO) is not the organization offering this opportunity. For any inquiries, please contact the official organization directly. Please do not send your applications & CVs to GSO, as we are unable to process them. Due to the high volume of emails, we receive daily, we may not be able to respond to all inquiries. Thank you for your understanding.