Several funding opportunities for RCTs, a couple related to mobile and innovation… From: IPA (Innovations for Poverty Action) [mailto:pd@poverty-action.org] Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2014 12:52 PM To: kentaro_toyama@hotmail.com Subject: Funding Opportunities <https://poverty-action--c.na11.content.force.com/servlet/servlet.ImageServer?id=015G0000001D3Fj&oid=00DA00000009iYX> Dear IPA Research Network, We wanted to bring to your attention several newly announced funding opportunities, along with others pasted further below. In order to conduct your research with IPA, you must engage the relevant IPA Country Director/Representative with your idea as early as possible to discuss research design & implementation plans: Bangladesh: Shoraez Shahjahan, sshahjahan@poverty-action.org Burkina Faso/Mali: Nicolo Tomaselli, ntomaselli@poverty-action.org Colombia: Sebastian Chaskel, schaskel@poverty-action.org Ghana: Loic Watine, lwatine@poverty-action.org Kenya: Suleiman Asman, sasman@poverty-action.org Malawi: Thomas Munthali, tmunthali@poverty-action.org Mexico: Kyla Levin-Russell, klevin-russell@poverty-action.org Peru/Bolivia/Paraguay: Adam Kemmis Betty, akbetty@poverty-action.org Philippines: Nassreena ("Nash") Sampaco-Baddiri, nbaddiri@poverty-action.org Rwanda: Kris Cox, kcox@poverty-action.org Sierra Leone: Andrew Tedesco, atedesco@poverty-action.org Uganda: Beniamino Savonitto, bsavonitto@poverty-action.org; Daniele Ressler dressler@poverty-action.org Zambia: Rachna Nag Chowdhuri, rnchowdhuri@poverty-action.org Pending a review of your proposed project/s, IPA Country Directors/ Representatives will work with you on the budget & other proposal inputs based on a pre-established process & submission timeline. All final inputs for submission must be sent to IPA a minimum of 2 full business days before the donor’s final submission date. Best, The IPA Global Programs team NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS Call for Proposals: International Growth Centre (IGC) IPA Deadline: Nov. 27, 2014 The IGC invites researchers to submit proposals for high-caliber research projects relevant to growth policies in developing countries. Projects can be funded by either the Research or Country Program: * Research Program: focused on production of cutting-edge & policy-relevant academic research that goes towards informing effective policymaking on economic growth in developing countries. Priority themes are: State Effectiveness, Firms Capabilities, Cities & Energy. * Country Program: focused on tailoring top-quality research w/ the specific growth policy needs of the IGC’s partner countries (overlap IGC & IPA countries are Bangladesh, Ghana, Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Zambia, Kenya & Malawi). The IGC welcomes all funding proposals on pertinent growth issues in developing countries, but they are especially interested in the questions outlined with in ‘IGC Research Priorities’ document including priorities for each research theme & country program. Please see this website <http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=27510610&msgid=301655&act=QUWC&c=1343437&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theigc.org%2Fresearch-themes%2Ffunding%2Figc-call-for-proposals%2F> to access the research priorities document along with all of the templates and guidance documents needed. Call for Proposals: World Bank Strategic Impact Evaluation Fund (SIEF) IPA Deadline: January 28, 2015 SIEF, a partnership program promoting evidence-based policy making in human development, has announced 2 new calls for impact evaluation research proposals. SIEF wants proposals in (1) early childhood development <http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=27510610&msgid=301655&act=QUWC&c=1343437&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.worldbank.org%2Fcontent%2Fdam%2FWorldbank%2Fdocument%2FSIEF%2F2-2014-Call-for-Impact-Evaluation-Proposals-on-Early-Childhood-Development.pdf> , with a focus on promoting the cognitive and socio-emotional development of children ages 3-6; & (2) effectively engaging non-state actors in basic education. <http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=27510610&msgid=301655&act=QUWC&c=1343437&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.worldbank.org%2Fcontent%2Fdam%2FWorldbank%2Fdocument%2FSIEF%2F1-2014-Call-for-Impact-Evaluation-Proposals-on-NonState-Actors-Basic-Education.pdf> The application process is a two-step process and requires completing an online SIEF Proposal Form and also submitting by email a completed Budget Proposal Template. Decisions will be announced in March 2015 and selected proposals will be given seed funding up to US$25,000 to develop a full technical proposal for the impact evaluation. Seed funding does not guarantee final impact evaluation funding; all technical proposals will also undergo a careful peer review. For details on the focus of each of these two calls, the application process, the online application form, and for frequently asked questions, please visit the SIEF website <http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=27510610&msgid=301655&act=QUWC&c=1343437&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.worldbank.org%2Fen%2Fprograms%2Fsief-trust-fund%2Fbrief%2Fsief-call-for-proposals-2014> . Call for Proposals: Innovation Growth Lab (IGL) Grants Program IPA deadline: Jan. 1, 2015 The aim of this call <http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=27510610&msgid=301655&act=QUWC&c=1343437&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.innovationgrowthlab.org%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2FGrants%2520for%2520Experiments%2520on%2520Innovation%2520Entrepreneurship%2520and%2520Growth%2520RFP%25202014-15_21-10-14.pdf> is to fund RCTs that provide evidence on the best approaches to increase innovation, support high-growth entrepreneurship & accelerate business growth. Proposals are welcomed that study intellectual property, networks & collaboration, mentoring & advice, financing schemes, innovation & entrepreneurial skills & innovative procurement, as well as other instruments & methods related to innovation & high-growth entrepreneurship. The call emphasizes that experiments should produce generalizable lessons that can also be applied in advanced economies. For instance, projects focused on reducing poverty in developing countries by helping individuals to become self-employed and supporting “subsistence entrepreneurship” would not fit within the thematic focus of this call. They state "there are already several initiatives, such as J-PAL & IPA which are focused on running experiments on poverty alleviation, typically in developing countries. The aim of this call is to incentivize the transfer of some of this best practice to advanced economies trying to support innovation & high-growth entrepreneurship." There are 3 types of awards relevant for IPA: 1. Unconditional: Low cost experiments (or experiments w/ co-funding) that have a research team & a committed program delivery partner. 2. Conditional on finding co-funding: High cost experiments w/ good value-for-money but which this grant cannot fund on its own. 3. Design grant: Small grant to fund the development of an experiment, but not to run it. There is no stated budget limit, but previous grant awards ranged from $10,000 to $100,000. The grant is intended to fund the cost of the research (including PI support) but not the cost of the actual intervention/program/scheme which should come from other sources. Call for Proposals: Mobile for Development Utilities Innovation Fund (M4D Utilities) IPA Deadline: Dec. 3, 2014 M4D Utilities <http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=27510610&msgid=301655&act=QUWC&c=1343437&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gsma.com%2Fmobilefordevelopment%2Fprogrammes%2Futilities%2Finnovation-fund> will provide up to £3.2M in grants. The Fund supports global applicants, but the primary focus is for projects implemented in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Indian subcontinent & Southeast Asia. (For IPA, this includes the Philippines, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Mali, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Malawi & Zambia.) The objectives are to: - Accelerate efforts using mobile technology to enable improved or increased access to energy, water &/or sanitation for underserved communities; - Identify innovative business models that can support mobile innovations for energy, water & sanitation services; - Generate knowledge about the application of mobile enabled services which can be shared with the development community & mobile industry; & - Stimulate partnerships b/w mobile operators/ tower companies & providers of energy, water & sanitation, utilities, NGOs, entrepreneurs & academics to achieve these objectives at scale. There are 3 types of grants available: 1) Seed grant to support R&D of early stage innovations using mobile to support access to sustainable energy & water provision -- Up to £150k in funding, 25% of total project cost matched by grantee w/ potential for staged funding if necessary 2) Market validation grants to support partnerships b/w mobile network operators &/or tower companies w/ community service providers to trial at scale promising mobile technologies & business models that have the potential to increase or improve access to water or energy services to underserved communities -- Up to £300k in funding, 50% of total project cost matched by grantee 3) Utilities partnership grants to support partnerships b/w a solution provider/ innovator & a utility &/or a gov agency to develop & trial promising models that use mobile to increase or improve access to energy, water & sanitation services to underserved communities in urban or peri-urban areas -- Up to £200k in funding, 50% of total project cost matched by grantee DEADLINE BY END OF 2014 IPA SME Initiative Competitive Research Fund <http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=27510610&msgid=301655&act=QUWC&c=1343437&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.poverty-action.org%2Fsme%2FcurrentRFP> on Entrepreneurship & SME Growth IPA Deadline: December 8, 2014 Goal is to support innovative research that builds off of evidence on the effectiveness of programs & policies that promote SME growth. Funding will be allocated to projects that address innovative research questions, use rigorous methods & have policy relevance in the following areas: Access to Finance; Human Capital & Skills; Access to Markets & Info. In addition, cross-cutting themes are: economic growth, poverty alleviation & job creation, social empowerment & gender. There is also a focus on: High-growth entrepreneurship in Latin America; Lowering the risk & cost of lending to SMEs; & Improving managerial capital through training, consulting, or mentoring. Link to the full RFP, application form, and budgeting guidelines. There are 3 award levels: - Core Research Grants: Research projects at a mature stage of development. Max award= $100,000. - Project Development Grants: Seed grants to cover initial costs of starting a new project focused on SMEs. Max award= $25,000. - Young Scholar Grants: Funds young scholars interested in the SME field. Max award= $20,000. ROLLING OR 2015 DEADLINES The Spencer Foundation - Education Research IPA Deadline: Feb. 3, 2015 The Spencer Foundation has a call for education research <http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=27510610&msgid=301655&act=QUWC&c=1343437&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.spencer.org%2Fcontent.cfm%2Fbudgets-50000-or-less> proposal budgets of $50,000 or less. The 'areas of inquiry' should fall under: Education and Social Opportunity, Organizational Learning, Purposes and Values of Education, Teaching, Learning, and Instructional Resources, and Field-Initiated Proposals. Global Innovation Fund (GIF) (rolling deadline) GIF is a nonprofit innovation fund supported by a donor consortium which has pledged £125M+ over the next 5 yrs. GIF invests in innovations to global development challenges from researchers & a variety of firms & agencies. ‘Innovation’ is broadly defined to include new business models, policy practices, technologies, behavioral insights, or ways of delivering products & services that benefit the poor in developing countries. Funding includes 3 tiers: - Pilot: seed capital to support start-up & field testing of innovation (min= £30,000) - Test & Transition: small scale innovations that have already shown success - Scaling Up: supports expansion of innovations that have demonstrated a strong track record of social impact & effectiveness (max= £10M) Please refer to GIF resources <http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=27510610&msgid=301655&act=QUWC&c=1343437&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.globalinnovation.fund%2Fapplication-process> for application instructions & tips. GIF reportedly aims to respond to initial applications w/in 6-8 weeks. USAID DIV (rolling deadline until April 2015) Please see: http://www.usaid.gov/div/apply <http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=27510610&msgid=301655&act=QUWC&c=1343437&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usaid.gov%2Fdiv%2Fapply> . Special additional funding is available (through the same LOI procedure) for: - Water Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) Focused Funding Opportunity: partnership w/ Gates Foundation - objective is to identify, test & transition to scale promising approaches to achieving cost-effective, sustained, scalable outcomes in the WASH sectors to significantly improve the lives of the impoverished around the world. - Innovation Fund for the Americas: in collaboration with USAID’s bureau for Latin America & the Caribbean, objective is to support applications that address challenges in LAC Available funding types: Stage 1: Proof of Concept/Initial Testing– Awards $25,000-150,000 up to 2 yrs Stage 2: Testing & Positioning for Scale– Awards $150,000-1,5M up to 3 yrs Stage 3: Transitioning Proven Solutions to Scale (up to 5 yrs) ** Category A: Awards of $1.5M to $6M ** Category B: Awards of $6M - $15M Gates Foundation (rolling deadline) Open Concept Memo for Global Health Grants <http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=27510610&msgid=301655&act=QUWC&c=1343437&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gatesfoundation.org%2FHow-We-Work%2FGeneral-Information%2FGrant-Opportunities%2FOpen-Concept-Memo-Global-Health-Grants> - Concept note for global health grants on Enteric & Diarrheal Diseases, Malaria & Pneumonia can be submitted anytime. Follow the Concept Memo Guidelines outlined here. Ford Foundation (rolling deadline) Ford Foundation <http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=27510610&msgid=301655&act=QUWC&c=1343437&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fordfoundation.org%2Fpdfs%2Fgrants%2Fgrant-application-guide.pdf> has an open grant application process. Eligible IPA countries are: Peru, Colombia, Mexico, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Mali & Sierra Leone. Their focus areas of Democratic & Accountable Government, Economic Fairness, Educational Opportunity & Scholarship, Gender, Sexuality & Reproductive Justice, Metropolitan Opportunity, and/or Sustainable Development are applicable for IPA's work. Please review the initiatives closest to your proposed project. You can find the Grant Application Guide here. Lastly, you can submit a grant inquiry here. Spencer Foundation - Lyle Spencer Research Awards IPA Deadline: April 30, 2015 The Spencer Foundation has Lyle Spencer Research Awards <http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=27510610&msgid=301655&act=QUWC&c=1343437&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fordfoundation.org%2Fpdfs%2Fgrants%2Fgrant-application-guide.pdf> for "advancing understanding of education practice & its improvement." Funding is available up to $1M. The foundation values precise measurement & rigorous research on what works. For example, they welcome studies that aim at better understanding how different ways of defining, measuring & rewarding teacher performance affect teachers’ professional goals, time use & understanding of success. Eligibility & restrictions can be found here. Public Health Intervention Scheme (PHIND) IPA Deadline: Jan. 28, 2015 (followed by May & September 2015) PHIND <http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=27510610&msgid=301655&act=QUWC&c=1343437&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mrc.ac.uk%2Ffunding%2Fbrowse%2Fpublic-health-intervention-development-scheme-phind%2F> is a rapid response funding scheme aimed at improving initial evidence on development & evaluation of public health interventions. Studies should address an important global public health issue & offer an innovative approach to intervention development or apply an existing intervention in a new setting. These interventions should be for prevention in a general, high risk or vulnerable population. (Interventions treating clinical conditions or improving health services delivery are not eligible.) Selected interventions will be funded up to £150,000 for 18 months. ESRC Research Grants (rolling deadline) ESRC sustains a Research Grants open call <http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=27510610&msgid=301655&act=QUWC&c=1343437&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.esrc.ac.uk%2Ffunding-and-guidance%2Ffunding-opportunities%2F3717%2Fresearch-grants.aspx> with awards ranging from £200,000 to £2M which can be made to eligible institutions to enable individuals or research teams to undertake anything from a standard research project through to a large-scale survey and other infrastructure or methodological development. There is considerable flexibility when it comes to subject area as long as the suggested topic falls within ESRC's remit. Please see the FAQs on the application process (PDF, 105Kb) for guidance. You must apply using the Joint Electronic Submission System (Je-S). See ESRC's guidance on how to write a good application. PEDL Exploratory Grants IPA Deadline: Jan. 28, 2015 (& every subsequent 3 months) The research agenda focuses on private-sector development in LICs & is organized around 4 themes: 1. Modeling market frictions in LICs using newly available data 2. Understanding how constraints interact using micro-founded macro models 3. The dynamics of SMEs: Informality and entrepreneurship 4. The role of export-oriented industries in driving growth PEDL gives encouragement to proposals which address cross-cutting issues of: fragile & conflict affected states; gender; &/or climate, environment & social compliance. Exploratory Grants <http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=27510610&msgid=301655&act=QUWC&c=1343437&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fpedl.cepr.org%2Fcontent%2Fpreparing-your-application> will be awarded for £10,000 to £35,000. This message was sent to kentaro_toyama@hotmail.com from: IPA (Innovations for Poverty Action) | pd@poverty-action.org | Innovations for Poverty Action | 101 Whitney Ave | New Haven, CT 06510, USA <http://app.icontact.com/icp/mmail-mprofile.pl?r=27510610&l=10544&s=QUWC&m=301655&c=1343437> Unsubscribe <http://click.icptrack.com/icp/track.php?msgid=301655&act=QUWC&r=27510610&c=1343437>