Darwin Initiative Innovation Grants

Deadline Date

October 21, 2024

Donor Name

Darwin Initiative

Grant Size

$100,000 to $500,000

Darwin Initiative Innovation Grants

The Darwin Initiative Innovation invites applications to evaluate novel approaches that, if proven, could scale to deliver results for biodiversity conservation and multidimensional poverty reduction.

Elements of Successful Projects:

• Delivering outputs that achieve both biodiversity conservation and multidimensional poverty reduction.
• Enhancing the capability and capacity of national and local partners and stakeholders, ensuring long-term legacy.
• Strengthening, promoting, and using evidence to inform and scale action.
• Implementing a novel or significantly improved approach.
• Scalable approaches with potential for greater impact.

Funding Information:

• Grants range from £10,000 to £200,000.
• Project duration: 1 to 2 years maximum, starting on or after April 1, 2025 (but before September 30, 2025), and completing by March 31, 2027.

Scoring Criteria:

• Technical
• Biodiversity
• Poverty Reduction
• Innovation

Eligibility Criteria:

• Applications must be made by the Lead Organisation, not an individual. The Lead Organisation must manage the grant, its finances, reporting, and governance. Foreign governments and their agencies cannot be Lead Organisations but can be partners; UK government agencies can be Lead Organisations or partners.
• Lead Organisations can be based anywhere, but in-country Lead Organisations are encouraged.
• The maximum annual value of funds requested should not exceed 25% of the Lead Organisation’s average annual turnover/income for the previous 3 years.
• Projects must be led by or partner with local/national organisations in the country/ies where the project is based, with meaningful and early engagement of in-country stakeholders.
• Projects must promote economic development and welfare in eligible countries as a primary objective. Darwin Initiative is mostly focused on Low Income and Lower Middle-Income countries, with at least 70% of funding allocated to these countries. Upper Middle-Income countries (UMICs) are eligible if they demonstrate a strong case for support.
• UMIC applications must demonstrate that they will advance knowledge and impact in Least Developed or Low-Income Countries, contribute to a global public good, or make significant advancements on a critical issue due to specific circumstances in the UMIC.

For more information, visit Darwin Initiative.