Practical Insights on Grant Funding

grant funding usaid

ICT4D Grant Funding

Do you want to use information and communication technologies to improve social and economic development? Do you need grant funding for your ICT4D startup business idea? Here are two popular international donors that provide seed funds for innovative humanitarian aid programs.

USAID Grant Funding

USAID generally undertakes direct assistance programs to benefit developing countries through competitive grants and cooperative agreements. This ensures that all activities are concentrated on specific objectives to maximize impact and that they are consistent, mutually reinforcing, and draw support from the best available sources.

Check to see if USAID and your organization are currently working in the same country and to ensure that your organization’s goals align with the USAID priorities for that country. Establish a relationship with the USAID Mission in the countries where you work; set up meetings with them and invite them to see your operation.

Gates Foundation Grant Funding

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation fosters innovation to solve key health and development problems. They offer two grant types: Seed Grants and Scale-Up Grants.

  • Seed Grants: $250,000 to be implemented up to 12 months. Seed Grants should leverage digital technology innovations with the potential to scale by utilizing a proven technology from another sector.
  • Scale-Up Grants: $1,500,000 to be implemented up to 24 months. Scale-Up Grants demonstrate ability and sufficient evidence to have positive impact by using digital technology innovations with demonstrated readiness to scale and proven ability to bundle with other services.

More Grant Funding Opportunities

Apply Now: $5 Million in Cash Grants for ICT4D Hardware Purchases

Apply Now: $5 Million in Cash Grants for ICT4D Hardware Purchases

Published on: Jan 18 2017 by Wayan Vota - Comments Off on Apply Now: $5 Million in Cash Grants for ICT4D Hardware Purchases
Guess what kids, there is a Hardware Santa Claus! Nethope has just announced its 2017 Device Challenge – $5 million dollars in cash grants for technology...
Apply Now: $100,000 in Grant Funding for Digital Financial Services Entrepreneurs

Apply Now: $100,000 in Grant Funding for Digital Financial Services Entrepreneurs

Published on: Sep 08 2016 by Wayan Vota - Comments Off on Apply Now: $100,000 in Grant Funding for Digital Financial Services Entrepreneurs
Do you have an inner flame that compels you to be a founder at a startup? Do you have deep expertise in fintech, payments, or retail finance? Do you dream of creating...
Apply Now for $312,000 in ICT4D Grants for Africa and Asia

Apply Now for $312,000 in ICT4D Grants for Africa and Asia

Published on: Aug 22 2016 by Wayan Vota - 2 Comments
Finding seed funding to launch ICT4D projects isn’t easy, and we’d like to help! Here’s three grant opportunities and one award program that can...
Apply Now for $240,000 in Grants for African ICT4D Projects

Apply Now for $240,000 in Grants for African ICT4D Projects

Published on: May 23 2016 by Wayan Vota - 24 Comments
The Fund for Internet Research and Development (FIRE Africa) has over US$240,000 in grant funding to support projects that use ICT to develop innovative solutions...
Apply Now: Harnessing Data for Resilience Recognition Award

Apply Now: Harnessing Data for Resilience Recognition Award

Published on: Mar 02 2016 by Josh Woodard - Comments Off on Apply Now: Harnessing Data for Resilience Recognition Award
Ending extreme poverty is one of the world’s biggest challenges. As we tackle this issue, it is critical to build resilience at all scales—individuals,...
Breaking News! USAID Grand Challenge for Development with Facebook

Breaking News! USAID Grand Challenge for Development with Facebook

Published on: Apr 01 2015 by Wayan Vota - 13 Comments
After extensive analysis, USAID has determined that poor people in the country of Africa suffer from a lack of things. According to the World Bank, 414 million...
Apply Now for $5 Million in GSMA mWASH Grants

Apply Now for $5 Million in GSMA mWASH Grants

Published on: Nov 28 2014 by Wayan Vota - Comments Off on Apply Now for $5 Million in GSMA mWASH Grants
Currently 10% of the world’s population does not have access to ‘improved’ water resources, nearly 20% are without access to energy, and almost 35% lack access...
Apply Today for ISIF Asia Awards

Apply Today for ISIF Asia Awards

Published on: May 21 2014 by Wayan Vota - Comments Off on Apply Today for ISIF Asia Awards
The ISIF Asia Awards seek to acknowledge the important contributions ICT innovators have made with creative solutions to the social and economic development of...
Apply for $15,000 to Test Mobile Money Payment Systems

Apply for $15,000 to Test Mobile Money Payment Systems

Published on: Sep 02 2013 by Wayan Vota - Comments Off on Apply for $15,000 to Test Mobile Money Payment Systems
Does your organization uses physical cash in operations or programming to implement a development project in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Haiti, Indonesia, Malawi,...
How New Technologies Can Make Every Voice Count in Government Activities

How New Technologies Can Make Every Voice Count in Government Activities

Published on: Jul 16 2013 by Guest Writer - 2 Comments
Ten years ago, leveraging information and communication technology for development was all about getting people an email address. Today, there is an explosion in...