DFID: Development Innovation Fund

Overview

This is a new £7 million fund to encourage community-based organisations across the UK to develop specific, small-scale, one-off projects that directly target poverty in the developing world whilst at the same time significantly developing awareness of the work within the UK.

DFID’s White Paper, ‘Eliminating World Poverty: Building Our Common Future’, outlines DFID’s approach to working with civil society. It highlights the fact that DFID recognises that the work of governments alone will not be enough to eliminate world poverty and that to achieve further and faster poverty reduction, governments must work closely with citizens and civil society groups.

The White Paper states that over the next few years DFID will increase its work with organisations in the UK and overseas who play an important role in development. This will include groups with who do not currently benefit from DFID support. Many of these groups are involved in supporting very small scale, often localised activities which do not meet the criteria we have for our existing centrally managed civil society funding schemes, such as the Partnership Programme Arrangements (PPA) and Civil Society Challenge Fund (CSCF).

To address this, DFID set up the Development Innovation Fund. The Fund will be operational for an initial 16 months from 2010. The Fund is intended to offer funding opportunities to not for profit organisations but is not intended to replace or overlap with other DFID funding mechanisms.

The key features of the Fund are:

• It will support small-scale projects, with grants up to £60,000.
• It will be possible to have 100% of the costs of a project funded.
• Projects should last no more than one year.
• Projects can take place in any low or middle-income developing country.
• Application is only open to not for profit organisations. The Fund is targeted at organisations with an average annual income below £500,000.
• The Fund covers the whole of the UK and organisations from outside the UK.
• Activities must improve the lives of poor people in the developing world.
• The intended work must be used to help raise awareness of development issues in the UK. Applications must make it clear how this activity will be planned and take place. It could involve articles in local media, talks and presentations to clubs, faith groups, other community groups amongst other things.

How to apply

For more infromation on how to apply and indeed fill in an application form please visit the DFID website

GT Team 23 August 2011 From DFID Website

Applications for the Development Innovation Fund are currently not being accepted. Applications submitted after midnight GMT on 18 May 2010 will not be accepted. Further updates on the Fund and future advice for applicants' will be added to this website.