Current funding opportunities

The Agri-SME Evidence Fund and the Small Projects Facility calls are now closed.

The winter 2024/25 call for proposals is now closed.

The Agri-SME Evidence Fund invited 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 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 – end of April 2025: Proposal consideration
  • Early May 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 currently closed. 

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.

 

In case of questions, please see our FAQs.