Development Innovation Ventures (DIV) Fund 2026

The Development Innovation Ventures (DIV) Fund supports innovative solutions with the potential to improve the lives of millions of people in low- and middle-income countries.

The fund provides grant financing to startups, social enterprises, private-sector companies, nonprofits, universities, research institutions and other eligible organisations developing evidence-driven innovations. It supports innovations across sectors, including agriculture, food systems, climate resilience, digital technology, livelihoods, water, health and economic development.

DIV uses a staged funding model based on the maturity and evidence of an innovation:

• Stage 1 – Pilot: Grants of up to US$200,000 to test promising post-prototype innovations in real-world settings.

• Stage 2 – Test: Grants of up to US$500,000 to rigorously test promising innovations, demonstrate impact and assess cost-effectiveness and readiness for scale.

• Stage 3 – Scale: Grants of up to US$1.5 million to support proven, cost-effective innovations with a credible pathway to durable scale.

DIV prioritises innovations that can demonstrate measurable impact, cost-effectiveness and potential for sustainable scale. Applicants should have a clear theory of change and explain how DIV funding will help the innovation achieve results that would not otherwise be possible.

Agrifood innovations such as digital agriculture, climate-smart agriculture, agricultural technologies, food-system innovations, agricultural finance, market-access solutions and other scalable solutions addressing development challenges may be relevant where they meet DIV's evidence and impact requirements.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year.

Note: DIV has three stages. $200,000 is the Stage 1 ceiling, while $1.5 million is the Stage 3 ceiling. The actual amount depends on the stage and proposal.