Development Innovation Ventures

Development Innovation Ventures (DIV) is USAID’s open innovation program that tests and scales creative solutions to any global development challenge. By investing in breakthrough innovations driven by rigorous evidence, USAID impacts millions of lives at a fraction of the usual cost.

Open innovation inspires new solutions to the critical challenges affecting millions around the world. DIV supports groundbreaking ideas to transform lives and maximize USAID’s impact per dollar. DIV turns bright ideas into real results.

Innovative solutions come in many forms – whether a product, technology, service, or application of a creative business and delivery model. DIV is an open door to USAID – anyone, anywhere can apply at any time.

We provide flexible, tiered grant funding to test new ideas, take strategic risks, build evidence of what works, and advance the best solutions. We look for solutions that demonstrate rigorous evidence of impact, cost-effectiveness, and a viable pathway to scale and sustainability.

Proposals are accepted year-round across three stages, from any type of organization, in any country in which USAID operates.

• Stage 1: Proof of Concept (Up to $200,000 – up to 3 years)

• Stage 2: Testing and Positioning for Scale ($200,000 to $1,500,000 – up to 3 years)

• Stage 3: Scaling ($1,500,000 to $5,000,000 – up to 5 years)

In addition to tiered funding, DIV provides evidence grants (up to $1,500,000) to support research and evaluations that generate rigorous evidence of an innovation’s impact per dollar and potential for expansion. These applications are evaluated separately from proposals for tiered funding.