DIV Fund 2026: How to Get Funding to Scale Your Innovation and Impact Millions Globally

DIV Fund 2026: How to Get Funding to Scale Your Innovation and Impact Millions Globally

Do you have an idea, a programme, or a solution that could change the lives of millions of people living in poverty — but you are struggling to get the funding you need to test it, grow it, or take it to a larger scale? Then you need to hear about the Development Innovation Ventures (DIV) Fund 2026.

The DIV Fund is one of the most powerful and flexible funding opportunities in the world for innovators, social entrepreneurs, researchers, NGOs, and changemakers who are working on solutions to some of the world’s toughest development challenges. Whether your idea is still at the early testing stage or you already have proven results and are ready to expand, the DIV Fund has a funding stage designed specifically for where you are right now.

The good news? Applications are currently open and are being reviewed on a rolling basis — meaning there is no fixed deadline. You can apply today. But as with every competitive funding programme, applying early gives you a clear advantage.

This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about the DIV Fund 2026 — what it is, how much money you can get, who can apply, what sectors qualify, how the application process works, and the direct link to apply. Read everything carefully and let nothing stop you from submitting your best idea.

What Is the DIV Fund?

The Development Innovation Ventures (DIV) Fund is a global grant programme that functions as an R&D (Research and Development) engine for international development. It was created to identify, test, and scale innovative solutions that have the potential to cost-effectively improve the lives of people living in poverty around the world.

The DIV Fund combines risk-tolerant capital with evidence-driven decision-making to back bold ideas, identify what works, and scale the most cost-effective innovations. Its portfolio approach balances experimentation with evidence, while its tiered funding model right-sizes risk.

What makes the DIV Fund stand out from other funding programmes is its bold and open approach to innovation. The DIV Fund sources proposals for innovations that address international development challenges and improve the lives of people living in poverty in developing countries around the world. It does not limit itself to one type of organization or one sector — if your solution can genuinely improve lives at scale, you are eligible to apply.

DIV recognizes that innovation can take multiple forms — from new ways of delivering existing services more effectively, to entirely new technologies, to smarter systems of organizing communities and resources. The fund is genuinely open to fresh ideas from anywhere in the world.

The DIV Fund is backed by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), one of the most influential development agencies in the world, which means successful applicants benefit not just from the funding itself, but also from the credibility, connections, and technical support that come with being a USAID-backed programme.

Why the DIV Fund Matters for Innovators and Changemakers

Here is the reality that many innovators face: you have a great idea, you have done some early work, and you can see clearly how this solution could improve the lives of thousands — or even millions — of people. But you cannot scale it without money. And you cannot easily get money without first proving it works at scale. It is a frustrating cycle.

In a crowded development landscape, many ideas struggle to move beyond pilot stages due to lack of funding or evidence. The DIV Fund is specifically designed to break this cycle. It meets you wherever you are in your innovation journey — whether you are at the very beginning with just a promising idea, or whether you are midway through with early evidence and need resources to go bigger, or whether you have strong results and need capital to reach millions.

This is not just another grant. It is a strategic partnership between you and a world-class development engine that genuinely wants your solution to succeed, grow, and outlast the funding itself.

How Much Funding Can You Get? — The Three Stages of DIV Grants

One of the most important things to understand about the DIV Fund is that it uses a tiered (stage-based) funding model. The amount of money you can access depends on which stage of development your innovation is at. Here is a full breakdown:

Stage 1: Proof of Concept — Pilots

Funding Range: $50,000 to $200,000 | Duration: Up to 3 years

This stage is designed for early-stage ideas that have not yet been fully tested in the real world. If you have a promising innovation but need to prove that it works — that people will actually use it, that it is feasible, and that it has enough potential to justify deeper investment — Stage 1 funding is for you.

Stage 1 grants support real-world pilots of promising innovations. These grants can be used to conduct testing to understand user demand, feasibility, impact potential, and financial viability.

By the end of Stage 1, the DIV Fund wants to know: does this innovation actually work in practice? Will the people it targets use it? Does it show enough promise to be worth investing in further?

If you are just starting out or have a new idea with limited evidence, this is your entry point. You can access up to $200,000 over a period of up to 3 years to prove your concept in the real world.

Stage 2: Testing and Positioning for Scale

Funding Range: $200,000 to $1,500,000 | Duration: Up to 3 years

This stage is for innovations that have already been tested and shown some early results — but now need more rigorous evidence and a clearer path to scale. If you have proven that your idea works in a small setting and you now need to measure its impact more carefully, test your business model, and prepare for growth, Stage 2 is designed for you.

At this stage, the focus shifts to rigorous validation. Funding is used to measure impact, test business models, and refine strategies for growth. This may include conducting impact evaluations, expanding into new markets, or strengthening operational systems. The aim is to prove that the innovation significantly improves lives, is cost-effective, and has a credible pathway to scaling.

At Stage 2, you can access up to $1.5 million over up to 3 years to build the evidence base that will position your solution for large-scale expansion.

Stage 3: Scale-Up

Funding Range: $1,500,000 to $5,000,000 | Duration: Up to 5 years

This is the most advanced stage of DIV funding and it is for innovations that have already proven their impact and are ready to expand to reach millions of people. If you have rigorous evidence that your solution works, is cost-effective, and you have a credible plan to scale it — Stage 3 is for you.

Stage 3 grants help organizations scale their solutions to reach large populations, often through partnerships with governments, private sector actors, or development institutions. By this stage, the innovation should be positioned to achieve sustained impact without long-term reliance on grant funding.

At Stage 3, you can access up to $5 million over up to 5 years to drive your proven innovation to massive scale.

Evidence Grants

In addition to the three funding stages above, the DIV Fund also offers separate Evidence Grants of up to $1,500,000 to support research and evaluations that generate rigorous evidence of an innovation’s impact. Evidence grants support impact evaluations (including randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental methods), as well as other methods of assessing impact.

What Sectors Does the DIV Fund Support?

One of the most exciting things about the DIV Fund is how broad and inclusive it is in terms of the sectors it supports. The programme is open to innovations across multiple sectors, including health, agriculture, education, climate, and livelihoods. This flexibility allows a wide range of solutions addressing social and economic challenges to qualify.

Here is a more detailed look at the key areas where your innovation could qualify:

Health and Public Health: Solutions that improve access to healthcare, reduce disease burden, improve maternal and child health outcomes, increase vaccine uptake, or address mental health challenges in low-income settings.

Agriculture and Food Security: Innovations that help smallholder farmers increase yields, access markets, adapt to climate change, reduce post-harvest losses, or improve nutrition at the community level.

Education and Skills Development: Solutions that improve learning outcomes, increase school enrolment and retention, equip young people with employable skills, or make quality education more accessible and affordable.

Financial Inclusion and Economic Empowerment: Innovations that give low-income people access to savings, credit, insurance, or other financial services that help them build assets and resilience.

Climate Resilience and Sustainability: Solutions that help communities adapt to the effects of climate change, reduce carbon emissions, improve access to clean energy, or manage natural resources more sustainably.

Livelihoods and Economic Development: Innovations that create jobs, increase incomes, empower women economically, or connect poor households to market opportunities.

If your innovation falls in any of these areas — or even in a different sector, as long as it improves outcomes for people living in poverty — you are encouraged to apply.

Who Can Apply for the DIV Fund 2026?

This is one of the most open and inclusive funding programmes in the world. DIV accepts applications from anyone, including businesses, social entrepreneurs, individuals, nonprofit organizations, researchers, and governments.

More specifically, eligible applicants include:

Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs): Whether you are a small local NGO or a large international organization, you can apply as long as your programme meets the DIV criteria.

Social Enterprises and Startups: For-profit companies and social enterprises with innovative solutions that improve lives in developing countries are explicitly welcome.

Research Institutions and Universities: Academic and research organizations conducting studies or piloting innovations with clear development impact can apply.

Individual Innovators: You do not have to be part of an organization. If you are an individual with a strong innovation and the capacity to implement it, you are eligible.

Governments: Public sector entities that are testing or scaling development innovations can also apply.

Partnerships and Consortia: Collaborations between two or more organizations — including academic institutions, NGOs, governments, and private companies — are strongly encouraged.

There is no strict geographic limitation on who can apply. DIV supports innovations across all countries where USAID operates. However, the innovation itself must focus on improving the lives of people living in poverty in developing countries.

What Does a Strong DIV Fund Application Look Like?

The DIV Fund does not just give money to any idea. Every application is assessed against three core principles: evidence of impact, cost-effectiveness, and potential for scale. Let us break each of these down in simple terms:

1. Evidence of Impact

Your application must show that your innovation actually improves lives. If you are applying at Stage 1, you do not need rigorous proof yet — but you must present a clear and credible theory of change that explains why your solution should work and what evidence supports the logic behind it.

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.

If you are applying at Stage 2 or Stage 3, you are expected to provide stronger, data-backed evidence that your solution is already making a measurable difference.

2. Cost-Effectiveness

The DIV Fund cares deeply about value for money. They want to fund solutions that deliver the greatest possible impact for every dollar spent. 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.

Your application should clearly explain how your innovation delivers better outcomes at lower cost compared to existing alternatives. If your solution can serve more people for less money, make sure that comes through clearly in your proposal.

3. Potential for Scale

The DIV Fund is not interested in funding solutions that will only ever reach a few hundred people. DIV’s goal is to support impactful development solutions that will scale to reach and improve millions of people’s lives within 10 years.

Your application needs to show a realistic and credible pathway to scale — whether that is through government adoption, commercial expansion, replication by other organizations, or a combination. Accordingly, innovations must have a potential pathway to scale in the long run through commercial funding, public sector or philanthropic funding, or a hybrid of the two.

Beyond these three core principles, a strong application also needs to demonstrate:

• A clear and credible innovation — what is the problem, and how does your solution address it in a new or better way?
• A realistic and scalable implementation plan — how exactly will the funding be used, and what will you achieve with it?
• Demonstrated team capability — evidence that you and your team have the experience and organizational capacity to execute the project

How the DIV Fund Application Process Works — Step by Step

Unlike some funding programmes that have a single-stage application, the DIV Fund has a structured multi-step selection process. Here is exactly what happens from the moment you submit your application to the moment you receive your funding:

Step 1: Submit Your Application Online

The first step is to submit your application through the official DIV Fund portal. All applications are submitted online at www.div.fund/apply — this is the only legitimate portal for DIV Fund applications. Do not send applications by email or by any other route.

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis throughout the year, meaning there is no single annual deadline. The fund convenes expert review panels multiple times per year. The earlier you apply, the sooner your application will be reviewed.

Step 2: Initial Review of Application Documents

After submission, the DIV team will conduct an initial review of your proposal. The diligence process is designed to help us understand the expected social returns of a potential award, and the specific additionality of the DIV Fund’s potential support.

During this review, the team will assess whether your application meets the basic criteria and whether it presents enough promise to move forward. They will examine the quality of your evidence, the logic of your theory of change, your cost-effectiveness projections, and your scaling strategy.

Step 3: Due Diligence and Deep Assessment

Applications that pass the initial review move into a more detailed due diligence stage. This involves deeper analysis of the innovation, supporting evidence, risks, and scaling strategy. External experts may also be consulted.

At this stage, the DIV team may reach out to ask for additional information, clarifications, or supporting documents. They will also evaluate your team’s capacity to implement the project effectively.

Step 4: Expert Panel Decision

Funding decisions are made by expert panels, convened several times per year. The panel reviews proposals and makes final funding determinations, which may include requirements to strengthen aspects of the proposal prior to funding. Applicants are notified of preliminary funding decisions promptly following decision panels.

This expert panel is made up of experienced professionals in international development, impact evaluation, and the relevant sector of your innovation. Their decision is final, though they may ask you to revise or strengthen specific parts of your proposal before fully approving the award.

Step 5: Pre-Award Stage and Grant Structuring

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.

This is an important point to understand: DIV funding is milestone-based. DIV provides funding only when specific results and milestones are achieved. The process to negotiate and finalize the award can take 3 to 5 months.

This means you and the DIV Fund will agree upfront on specific targets and results that must be met before each payment is released. This structure keeps everyone accountable and ensures that funding is always tied to real progress.

Step 6: Receive Your Funding

Once the relevant office determines that all requirements are met, the grant award is issued and you receive DIV funding. From that point forward, your milestones guide the pace at which subsequent funding instalments are released.

Tips for Writing a Winning DIV Fund Application

The DIV Fund is competitive, and your proposal needs to stand out from a large pool of applicants around the world. Here are practical tips to help you put together the strongest possible application:

Be specific about your innovation. Do not describe your idea in vague, general terms. Explain exactly what your solution does, how it works, who it serves, and why it is better or different from what already exists. The more concrete and specific you are, the more convincing your application will be.

Know your evidence. Even at Stage 1, you need a credible theory of change. Research the existing evidence on the problem you are addressing and explain why your approach is likely to work based on that evidence. If you already have data from a small pilot, include it and explain what it shows.

Show the numbers. Cost-effectiveness is a core criterion. Be prepared to show the cost per beneficiary, the expected impact per dollar, and how your approach compares to alternatives. If your solution can reach more people for less money, make sure the numbers tell that story clearly.

Make the scaling pathway convincing. Do not just say “this can reach millions of people.” Explain exactly how that will happen — through government adoption, commercial expansion, replication by partners, or some other route. The more credible and detailed your scaling plan, the stronger your application.

Apply for the right stage. Applicants should apply for the stage that best reflects the current state of the innovation and its readiness to generate stronger evidence and prepare for scale. Be honest about where you are. If your evidence is thin, apply for Stage 1 rather than trying to stretch a weak case for Stage 2.

Apply early. Since applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, applying as early as possible means your application will be reviewed in the next available panel cycle. Waiting too long may push your review back by months.

Review the Request for Proposals thoroughly. Before submitting, carefully read through the official Request for Proposals (RFP) available on the DIV Fund website. All applicants should closely review the stage-wise criteria detailed in the Request for Proposals to make sure they’re applying for the appropriate funding stage.

Summary: DIV Fund 2026 at a Glance

Here is a quick reference of all the key details for the DIV Fund 2026:

Programme Name: Development Innovation Ventures (DIV) Fund 2026

Funder: U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)

Purpose: To fund scalable, evidence-driven innovations that improve the lives of people living in poverty globally

Funding Stages and Amounts:

• Stage 1 (Pilot): $50,000 – $200,000 (up to 3 years)
• Stage 2 (Test & Scale): $200,000 – $1,500,000 (up to 3 years)
• Stage 3 (Scale-Up): $1,500,000 – $5,000,000 (up to 5 years)
• Evidence Grants: Up to $1,500,000

Who Can Apply: NGOs, social enterprises, startups, research institutions, individuals, governments, and partnerships — from anywhere in the world

Eligible Sectors: Health, Agriculture, Education, Financial Inclusion, Climate Resilience, Livelihoods, and more

Application Deadline: No fixed deadline — rolling review throughout the year

Official Application Link: www.div.fund/apply

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1: What is the DIV Fund? The DIV Fund (Development Innovation Ventures Fund) is a global grant programme backed by USAID that provides tiered funding to pilot, test, and scale innovations that improve lives in developing countries.

Q2: How much money can I get from the DIV Fund 2026? Depending on your stage, you can receive between $50,000 and $5,000,000. Stage 1 (Pilot) offers up to $200,000, Stage 2 (Test & Scale) offers up to $1.5 million, and Stage 3 (Scale-Up) offers up to $5 million. Evidence Grants of up to $1.5 million are also available.

Q3: Who is eligible to apply for the DIV Fund? The fund is open to NGOs, social enterprises, for-profit companies, research institutions, individual innovators, governments, and partnerships. There is no strict geographic restriction — applicants from any country can apply as long as their innovation targets people living in poverty in developing countries.

Q4: Is there a deadline to apply for the DIV Fund 2026? No. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, meaning there is no fixed deadline. However, applying early is strongly recommended to ensure your application is reviewed in the next available expert panel cycle.

Q5: Do I need to be registered as an organization to apply? No. The DIV Fund accepts applications from individuals, partnerships, and organizations alike. However, having a registered organization or a credible team structure will strengthen your application.

Q6: Does my innovation need to already be working before I apply? Not necessarily. If you are applying for Stage 1 funding, you only need a promising idea with a strong theory of change — you do not need to have already proven results. For Stage 2 and Stage 3, stronger evidence of impact is required.

Q7: What sectors does the DIV Fund support? The fund is open to innovations across all sectors — health, agriculture, education, financial inclusion, climate, livelihoods, and more — as long as the innovation improves outcomes for people living in poverty in developing countries.

Q8: How long does the application review process take? The initial review and due diligence process can take several weeks to a few months. If your application proceeds to funding, the pre-award and grant finalization stage can take an additional 3 to 5 months.

Q9: Where do I apply for the DIV Fund 2026? All applications must be submitted through the official portal at www.div.fund/apply. Do not send applications to any other email or address.

Q10: Is this a loan or a grant? This is a grant — not a loan. You are not expected to repay DIV Fund support. However, funding is milestone-based, meaning each instalment is tied to achieving agreed-upon results.

Final Words

The DIV Fund 2026 is a rare and remarkable opportunity. Not many funding programmes in the world are willing to back bold, unproven ideas at the early stage while also providing a clear pathway for the most successful ones to grow into solutions that reach millions of people. This fund does exactly that.

Whether you are an NGO with a health programme that needs more evidence, a startup with an education technology solution ready to scale, a researcher with groundbreaking data on agricultural innovation, or an individual with a fresh idea that could transform lives in your community — the DIV Fund was built for you.

The only thing left to do is put together your strongest proposal and submit it. Applications are open right now, and the review is rolling — which means there is no reason to wait.

• Click here to apply now: www.div.fund/apply

Take that step today. The lives of millions of people could depend on the idea that only you have the courage to bring forward.

If you found this guide helpful, please share it with a fellow innovator, social entrepreneur, or development professional who needs to see it. And if you have questions, drop them in the comment section below — we will be happy to help.

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