Practical Insights on Grant Funding

grant funding usaid

ICT4D Grant Funding

Do you want to use information and communication technologies to improve social and economic development? Do you need grant funding for your ICT4D startup business idea? Here are two popular international donors that provide seed funds for innovative humanitarian aid programs.

USAID Grant Funding

USAID generally undertakes direct assistance programs to benefit developing countries through competitive grants and cooperative agreements. This ensures that all activities are concentrated on specific objectives to maximize impact and that they are consistent, mutually reinforcing, and draw support from the best available sources.

Check to see if USAID and your organization are currently working in the same country and to ensure that your organization’s goals align with the USAID priorities for that country. Establish a relationship with the USAID Mission in the countries where you work; set up meetings with them and invite them to see your operation.

Gates Foundation Grant Funding

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation fosters innovation to solve key health and development problems. They offer two grant types: Seed Grants and Scale-Up Grants.

  • Seed Grants: $250,000 to be implemented up to 12 months. Seed Grants should leverage digital technology innovations with the potential to scale by utilizing a proven technology from another sector.
  • Scale-Up Grants: $1,500,000 to be implemented up to 24 months. Scale-Up Grants demonstrate ability and sufficient evidence to have positive impact by using digital technology innovations with demonstrated readiness to scale and proven ability to bundle with other services.

More Grant Funding Opportunities

Apply Now: £1.1 Million in Grants for Humanitarian Technology Solutions

Apply Now: £1.1 Million in Grants for Humanitarian Technology Solutions

Published on: May 27 2019 by Wayan Vota - Comments Off on Apply Now: £1.1 Million in Grants for Humanitarian Technology Solutions
The GSMA Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation Fund promotes innovation in the use of mobile technology to address humanitarian challenges. It supports solutions to...
Apply Now: $1 Million Grant Funding for Your African eWaste Solutions

Apply Now: $1 Million Grant Funding for Your African eWaste Solutions

Published on: Apr 29 2019 by Wayan Vota - 2 Comments
The off-grid solar technology industry is nascent but growing quickly. In 2017, the off-grid solar power sector provided energy access for 73 million households...
Apply Now: $250,000 Project Funding for FinTech Innovations

Apply Now: $250,000 Project Funding for FinTech Innovations

Published on: Apr 22 2019 by Wayan Vota - 1 Comment
More than 90% of companies in the developing countries of Asia and the Pacific are micro, small and medium sized companies (MSMEs) and 40% experience constraints...
DHIRT: How Donors Will Evaluate Your Digital Health Proposal

DHIRT: How Donors Will Evaluate Your Digital Health Proposal

Published on: Mar 27 2019 by Wayan Vota - Comments Off on DHIRT: How Donors Will Evaluate Your Digital Health Proposal
It’s no secret that donors like USAID, DFID, and the Gates Foundation, and national governments struggle to evaluate digital health solutions embedded in program...
Apply Now: $100,000 Grant Funding for Open Source Software Projects

Apply Now: $100,000 Grant Funding for Open Source Software Projects

Published on: Mar 25 2019 by Wayan Vota - Comments Off on Apply Now: $100,000 Grant Funding for Open Source Software Projects
Expensive mainstream software from advanced markets isn’t appropriate for many specialized contexts in international development. Open Source software has...
Apply Now: $5 Million in Grant Funding for Your Digital Health Solutions

Apply Now: $5 Million in Grant Funding for Your Digital Health Solutions

Published on: Feb 25 2019 by Wayan Vota - 8 Comments
The Bill & Melinda Gates foundation harnesses advances in science and technology to save lives in developing countries. They work with partners to deliver proven...
Apply Now: $200,000 Remote Sensing Agriculture Technology Challenge

Apply Now: $200,000 Remote Sensing Agriculture Technology Challenge

Published on: Feb 18 2019 by Wayan Vota - Comments Off on Apply Now: $200,000 Remote Sensing Agriculture Technology Challenge
Smallholder farmers produce the vast majority of the world’s cocoa, the basic ingredient for chocolate. Cocoa farmers face daunting challenges: declining yields,...
Apply Now: 1,750,000€ African Climate Smart Agriculture Grant Funding

Apply Now: 1,750,000€ African Climate Smart Agriculture Grant Funding

Published on: Jan 21 2019 by Wayan Vota - 29 Comments
Agricultural systems worldwide are facing a triple challenge: how to sustainably increase productivity, while reducing the impact of agriculture on climate change,...
Apply Now: $25 Million in Artificial Intelligence Grants from Google

Apply Now: $25 Million in Artificial Intelligence Grants from Google

Published on: Jan 14 2019 by Wayan Vota - 2 Comments
Google believes that artificial intelligence and machine learning can provide new ways of approaching problems and meaningfully improve social and economic development. They...
Apply Now: $100,000 for Digital Identification Systems from World Bank

Apply Now: $100,000 for Digital Identification Systems from World Bank

Published on: Jan 09 2019 by Wayan Vota - 3 Comments
In an increasingly digital age, the lack of verifiable identification often results in exclusion from economic opportunities and a variety of social and political...