Current funding opportunities

All research grants currently open for application.

Call for proposals – winter 2024/25

The winter 2024/25 call for proposals is open from 2 December 2024-2 February 2025.

The Agri-SME Evidence Fund invites proposals for grants up to £100,000 that address research gaps at the intersection of agriculture, finance, and SMEs. Proposals that engage with two of these topics may be funded if the research question and findings are relevant to the research agenda (see concept note for more details).

Geographically, the priority countries are Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. Research in other low- and middle-income countries may be funded if the research question and findings are relevant to our priority countries as well as the research agenda. 

We encourage research proposals from researchers based in low- and middle-income countries, PhD students, and early-career researchers. 

Research topics - We are interested in projects that focus on the following:

  • Increasing the supply of loans to agri-SMEs 
  • Increasing agri-SMEs’ demand for loans 
  • Understanding the impact of access to credit and technical assistance on livelihoods
  • Understanding the role of enabling environments on credit markets

In addition, we aim to commission work that spans these areas while also focusing on themes such as gender, youth, food security and nutrition, climate and environment. We also prioritise creating research infrastructure and public databases that serve as public goods. 

Project types - We are interested in funding the following: 

  • Exploratory research
  • Pilots and proof of concept
  • Fully developed research projects

For more details on these project types, please see the guidelines for applicants. 

Research methods - We are interested in funding the following: 

Quantitative research with strong counterfactuals and a sound research methodology. We also encourage qualitative research that is conducted in combination with quantitative approaches (mixed methods). 

We will not fund projects that are a) purely qualitative, b) not grounded in sound economic research principles, or c) relevant only to middle- and high-income countries.

Application process – Please submit all proposals through the online application form and refer to the guidelines for applicants for more information on how to complete the application. For our research agenda, please see our concept note. 

Proposal documents:

Timeline of current round of proposals:

  • 2 December 2024: Call for proposals opens
  • 2 February 2025: Call for proposal closes
  • 3 February 2025-23 March 2025: Proposal consideration
  • End of March 2025: Announcement of successful applicants

In case of questions, please see our FAQs or reach out to [email protected].

Funding through the Small Projects Facility (SPF) of up to £20,000 is open on a rolling basis (i.e. we are continuously accepting submissions). 

Project type: These grants can be used to generate:

  1. Exploratory findings via scoping work used to inform future smaller-scale studies or
  2. Proof of concept findings via pilots or smaller-scale studies.

Research methods: We primarily commission quantitative research with strong counterfactuals and a sound research methodology. Occasionally, we commission strong qualitative research conducted in combination with or as a complement to quantitative approaches (mixed methods). Qualitative research that aims to inform future quantitative research will also be considered. The IGC will not fund projects that are not grounded in sound economic research principles.

Application process: Researchers interested in applying for funding are invited to reach out to [email protected] and submit a two-to-three-page long expression of interest (EOI). This EOI should include, but is not limited to:

  • The research motivation 

This section should explain why the research topic is relevant to a development-context and how it addresses the research priorities of the evidence fund. It should draw on the relevant academic literature.

  • The research question

This section should clearly state which research question the project aims to answer. The question should be clear, precise, and focused, stating the topic and intervention.

  • The research design 

This section should provide details on the data that will be used (primary and/or secondary, quantitative and/or qualitative), sample sizes, and methodology (experimental or quasi-experimental or non-experimental set-up).  

For submissions that have passed the EOI screening stage, researchers will be asked to complete a full application under the guidance of the Agri-SME Evidence Fund team. This will include submitting a full proposal form and budget. 

In case of questions, please see our FAQs.