Association Burkinabè de Fundraising

Applications are now open for the Global Innovation Fund (GIF), a social impact investment vehicle that works with mission-aligned development agencies, philanthropy and other funders to find and fund evidence-based innovations with the potential to positively impact the lives of millions of the world's poorest people. They play a distinct role alongside existing development aid by taking intelligent risks. Public agencies cannot use a range of financial instruments to accomplish their mission.

Financing stages

GIF has a staged funding approach, whereby the amount of funding available is staggered according to the level of maturity of your innovation and proposed activities. The three levels are :

• Pilot - The innovation is at an early stage, but you have a credible plan for how it can be developed and tested in a real environment. Funding of up to USD 230,000 is available to test basic assumptions about operational, social and financial viability.
• Test and transition - the innovation has already shown promise of success on a small scale, and you have some information about your operational, social and financial viability that you want to consolidate before going to scale. Funding of up to US$2.3 million is available to support future growth and generate further evidence on whether the innovation can deliver social impact and commercial viability, for commercial innovations.
• Scale - The innovation has a strong evidence base and a logistically credible plan for scaling up to reach millions of people. Funding of up to $15 million is available to scale up innovations to reach millions of people over the long term if successful.

What are they financing?

• At GIF, they believe that innovation - any solution that can solve a major development problem more effectively than existing approaches - can come from anyone, anywhere.
• This means that they accept applicants working in any sector in any developing country.
• Any type of organisation can apply. This includes social enterprises, for-profit companies, non-profit organisations, government agencies, international organisations and research institutes in any country. It is recommended that innovators, entrepreneurs or individual researchers apply through an affiliated organisation.

Eligibility criteria

Any type of organisation can apply. This includes companies social enterprises, for-profit companies, non-profit organisations, government agencies, international organisations and research institutes in any country. It is recommended that innovators, entrepreneurs or individual researchers apply via an affiliated organisation.

Ineligible

GIF is open to innovations that meet their criteria in any sector or country. However, there are certain activities that they do not fund. These include:

• Theoretical research or purely laboratory activities that are not linked to the implementation of a specific pilot or demonstration project proposed in the real world.
• Approaches that are only applicable in a single country (unless the innovation is supposed to extend to a large part of one of the world's most populous developing countries).
• Innovations involving support for a candidate or political party.
• Innovations whose main objective is to support the wider innovation ecosystem, such as incubators, accelerators or other innovation funds.
• Innovations involving any product or activity deemed illegal under applicable laws or regulations or subject to internationally agreed eliminations or bans as defined in global conventions and agreements (such as the treatment of certain hazardous chemicals or ozone-depleting substances, and any activity that endangers protected wildlife).
• Innovations involving the production or use of luxury goods, the solicitation of prostitution or human trafficking, terrorist activities or the use of banned drugs, gambling and pornography.

For more information, please visit GIF .