Briefly
Status
Open
Deadline
26 July 2026, 20:59
Max. funding
$250,000
Who can apply
NGO\CSO, Government Authorities / Public Institutions, Communities / Municipalities, Business
Geography
International
Main Information
Program Type
Grant, Competition
Program Range
$4,000 – $250,000
Economic Sectors
Education and Research, Social Protection & Employment, Human Rights Protection, Gender Equality & Inclusion, Business Development & Entrepreneurship
Submission Language
English
Eligibility
Eligibility for participation in the grant program is defined by requirements for research teams and partnerships.
Key applicant requirements:
- For most grant types, at least one researcher must be affiliated with a university and hold or be pursuing a PhD in a relevant field.
- The team must demonstrate experience in field research and applying impact evaluation methods.
- Additional team members (e.g., research assistants or managers) may be included even if they do not meet formal academic criteria.
Partnerships:
- Implementing organizations (civil society, government, multilateral, etc.) are generally expected to collaborate with experienced researchers.
- For certain grant types (Evidence Use), refugee-led organizations are eligible to apply.
Participation priorities:
- Additional funding is earmarked for teams that include researchers with lived experience of displacement.
- Projects evaluating refugee-led organizations are also supported.
Specific notes:
- Some grants (Exploratory) are targeted at LMIC-based researchers, junior faculty, and those with limited access to research funding.
Financing
The grant program offers several funding categories designed to support research and related activities.
Main grant types:
- Exploratory Grants — up to $10,000: support for relationship-building, descriptive analysis, and data development.
- Pilot Studies — up to $75,000: investments in design, measurement, and implementation before full evaluation.
- Full Studies — up to $250,000: rigorous impact evaluations with well-defined methodologies.
- Infrastructure & Public Goods — up to $250,000: development of datasets, measurement tools, and shared resources.
Additional funding opportunities:
- Evidence Use Grants — up to $20,000: for RLOs and researchers with lived displacement experience to translate evidence into policy and practice.
- Conference Travel Grants — up to $4,000: support for participation in key academic and policy events.
Other funding features:
- RLO participation costs may be included in grant budgets (e.g., for collaboration and co-design).
- Targeted funding is available for projects involving researchers with lived experience of displacement.
Supported Activities
The grant program supports a range of project types and research activities aimed at improving the livelihoods of displaced populations.
Types of supported projects:
- Exploratory grants — for developing early-stage research ideas, including data collection and descriptive analysis.
- Pilot studies — for testing interventions and refining measurement and research design.
- Full studies — large-scale impact evaluations with well-defined methodologies.
- Infrastructure & public goods — development of datasets, tools, and shared research resources.
- Additionally: Evidence Use Grants and Conference Travel Grants.
Supported activities:
- Data collection and field research
- Development of measurement tools and methodologies
- Intervention testing (e.g., A/B testing)
- Dissemination of findings through publications and events
- Engagement with partners and policymakers to apply results
Priority research areas:
- Resilience and recovery from displacement
- Wage employment and labor markets
- Entrepreneurship
- Social cohesion and inclusion
- Rights and regulations
Impact expectations:
- Projects should contribute to changes in policy, practice, or research
- Grantees are expected to publish findings and engage in dissemination
- Collection of cost data for cost-effectiveness analysis is required
Roadmap
The program roadmap outlines the key stages and deadlines for Round V applications.
Key dates:
- April 15, 2026 — announcement of the competitive round.
- May 15, 2026 — deadline for the mandatory Expression of Interest.
- July 24, 2026 — final deadline for full proposal submission.
Additional options:
- The program allows off-cycle proposals for projects that require urgent funding outside the standard timeline.
- The maximum funding for such proposals is $75,000.
- Applicants are encouraged to contact the program directly in such cases.
How to Apply
An organization submits an application to the grant program by following a structured set of steps:
Step-by-step instructions:
- Applications must be submitted via the online portal by July 24, 2026, 11:59 p.m. (Pacific Time). The portal link is provided only to teams with a successful EOI.
- Preparation of the main document:
- the cover sheet and proposal narrative must be saved as a single Word document with the required file name.
- Budget submission:
- submitted separately as an Excel file with the specified title.
- Supporting documents:
- letters of support from implementing partners must be provided as PDF files with proper naming.
- Additional calculations:
- a separate document with power calculations must be included and appropriately titled.
Evaluation Criteria
Applications in the grant program are evaluated by academic researchers and, where relevant, policy reviewers based on five equally weighted criteria.
Main evaluation criteria:
- Academic contribution: assesses the significance of the study, novelty of methods or interventions, and its link between practice and theory.
- Policy relevance: evaluates alignment with priority areas, demand from policymakers/practitioners, and scalability of results.
- Technical design: quality of the research design, ability to answer key questions, and mitigation of validity risks.
- Project viability: strength of partnerships, availability of resources, team experience, and implementation risks.
- Value for money: whether the cost is justified by expected contributions to science and policy.
Additional considerations:
- Strong emphasis is placed on ethical standards, including risk mitigation and required approvals.
- Team diversity and inclusion of members with relevant lived experience are encouraged.
Team requirements:
- At least one team member must be affiliated with a university.
- Practitioners are encouraged to collaborate with experienced researchers with a proven track record.
Required Documents
Checklist of required documents:
- Main document:
- cover sheet and proposal narrative combined into a single Word file with the specified title
- Budget:
- submitted separately as an Excel file with the required naming format
- Letters of support:
- from implementing partners, provided as PDF files
- Additional calculations:
- a separate document containing power calculations with the appropriate file name
Legal Terms
Key provisions:
- Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is a research and policy nonprofit that generates and shares evidence to reduce poverty and supports evidence-based decision-making.
- IPA operates across multiple countries and conducts numerous impact evaluations in collaboration with researchers and partners.
- The organization ensures that research leads to tangible real-world impact on policies and programs.
- J-PAL (Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab) is a global research center focused on reducing poverty through scientifically grounded approaches.
- It operates as a network of researchers and universities and conducts randomized impact evaluations.
- Its research contributes to scaling effective programs that have already reached hundreds of millions of people.
Essence of legal conditions:
- The program is grounded in the institutional roles of these organizations as providers of research and funding.
- Participants operate within a framework emphasizing evidence-based policy and research.