The DIV Fund is an R&D engine for development, supporting innovative solutions with the potential to cost-effectively improve millions of lives.
We combine risk-tolerant capital with evidence-driven decision-making to back bold ideas, identify what works, and scale the most cost-effective innovations. Our portfolio approach balances experimentation with evidence, while our tiered funding model right-sizes risk.
The DIV Fund offers three stages of grants. Across all stages, we prioritize investments that maximize expected social returns. To assess this, we consider key drivers of social returns in our reviews, such as unit costs, per-person impact, and crucially, scaling potential, including the probability of greater scale as a result of DIV Fund investment.
We assess every application against our three core principles: evidence of impact, cost-effectiveness, and potential for scale. What we look for under each principle is adjusted to each funding stage, from testing potential at earlier stages to demonstrating evidence of impact and readiness for scale at later stages.
We rely on rigorous evidence that an innovation improves lives, and at earlier stages, we help grantees build it. All applicants must present a credible theory of change grounded in evidence.
We look for innovations with the potential to deliver greater impact per dollar than existing alternatives, by lowering costs, increasing impact, or both.
We fund innovations with the potential to generate impact for over 1 million people at scale, and that have a clear path to lasting financial sustainability.
We are open to any viable path to scale, be that through government or philanthropic funding, private markets, or a blend of funding sources. Your path shapes how we evaluate your application.
Awards:-
Successful applicants move into the pre-award stage, where we set up a milestones-based grant, in which funding is tied to achieving agreed-upon milestones. At the pre-award stage, financial due diligence is conducted, award milestones and budgets are finalized, and the relevant documentation and agreements are completed.
Deadline:- Ongoing
