Opportunity Information: Apply for APS OAA 14 000002
Apply for APS OAA 14 000002
- The Agency for International Development in the agriculture arts (see cultural affairs in cfda) business and commerce community development consumer protection disaster prevention and relief education employment, labor and training energy environment food and nutrition health housing humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda) information and statistics income security and social services law, justice and legal services natural resources recovery act regional development science and technology and other research and development transportation sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Development Innovation Ventures (DIV) Annual Program Statement (APS)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 98.001 USAID Foreign Assistance for Programs Overseas.
- This funding opportunity was created on Apr 16, 2014 and posted on Apr 15, 2014.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 15, 2015. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Eligible applicants include: State governments Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Individuals County governments For profit organizations other than small businesses Private institutions of higher education City or township governments Small businesses Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Special district governments Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Independent school districts Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Development Innovation Ventures (DIV) Annual Program Statement (APS) is a USAID funding opportunity designed to find, test, and help scale innovative solutions to major international development challenges. The core idea is simple: DIV looks for promising approaches that can measurably improve lives, especially for people living in poverty or extreme poverty and for other vulnerable populations, and then supports those approaches through a staged process that emphasizes real-world evidence. Rather than funding routine program delivery, DIV focuses on innovations that can be proven to work, shown to be cost-effective, and then expanded in a way that can reach very large numbers of people.
DIV is open to innovations across virtually any development sector aligned with USAID's mission, which is why the eligible activity categories span a wide range, including agriculture, health, education, energy, environment, food and nutrition, community development, disaster prevention and relief, employment and workforce issues, governance and justice-related areas, science and technology, and more. The program is intentionally broad because it is trying to attract the strongest ideas no matter where they come from, as long as they address real development problems in countries where USAID operates. The types of innovations DIV is interested in can include new technologies, new service delivery models, new financing approaches, cost-reducing adaptations of existing interventions, or creative strategies to increase adoption of solutions that are already proven but not widely used.
A defining feature of DIV is its emphasis on evidence and learning. The program expects applicants to generate and use evidence of impact and, where relevant, commercial viability. The level of proof required is tied to how much funding an applicant is requesting: larger awards come with higher expectations that the innovation already has a strong evidence base or a credible plan for rigorous testing. This staged model is meant to reduce risk and ensure that funding is proportional to what is known about the solution so far. In practice, this means early-stage pilots may focus on whether an idea is feasible and shows initial promise, while later-stage support is geared toward rigorous evaluation and expansion of solutions that have already demonstrated measurable results.
DIV also puts heavy weight on scalability and long-term sustainability. Applicants are expected to show a plausible pathway for the innovation to reach scale, either commercially, through adoption by developing country governments, or through uptake by donors and philanthropies, including blended approaches that mix public and private financing. A key expectation is that successful innovations should not depend on indefinite DIV funding. Instead, they should be able to continue and grow through market mechanisms, institutional adoption, or other durable financing arrangements once the DIV support ends.
In terms of who can apply, the opportunity is broadly accessible. Eligible applicants include US and non-US organizations and individuals, and it allows participation from nonprofit and for-profit entities as well as a wide range of public institutions. The eligibility list includes nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status, institutions of higher education (public and private), small businesses and other for-profit organizations, individuals, and various levels of government entities such as state, county, city, township, special district governments, and certain tribal governments and tribal organizations. The main practical constraint is that the proposed work must take place in a country where USAID operates. The announcement notes that there is no cost sharing or matching requirement, which can lower barriers for applicants that may not have large reserves of flexible funding.
DIV is also clear about what it does not want to fund. Projects that resemble standard development practice, such as straightforward construction or conventional service provision without a meaningful innovation component, are not considered a good fit. Basic scientific research, such as laboratory work that is not yet aimed at producing measurable development outcomes in the field, is also outside DIV's scope. In addition, DIV is not looking for planning tools or diagnostics that are unlikely to translate into measurable development impact, solutions designed for extremely narrow or highly specific contexts with little potential to expand, or private-sector business expansion proposals that do not credibly lead to significant development impacts for poor or vulnerable populations.
Administratively, this is a discretionary funding opportunity offered by the US Agency for International Development under CFDA 98.001 (USAID Foreign Assistance for Programs Overseas). The funding instruments include cooperative agreements and grants. The opportunity was posted on April 15, 2014, with a closing date of April 15, 2015, and is identified by the funding opportunity number APS-OAA-14-000002. While the listing shows award floor and ceiling values as 0, DIV in practice uses a staged funding approach, so award sizes depend on the stage of the innovation and the strength of evidence supporting it rather than a single fixed amount.
Overall, the DIV APS is best understood as a competitive innovation and evidence-to-scale program: it invites a wide range of applicants and ideas, but it selects for proposals that are genuinely innovative, measurable, cost-effective, and built with a credible plan to expand and endure beyond the grant period. For applicants, the strongest fit is typically an intervention that can be tested rigorously, demonstrates clear outcomes for people living in poverty, and has a realistic scaling pathway through markets, government systems, or sustained donor/philanthropic support.
FAQs: USAID Development Innovation Ventures (DIV) Annual Program Statement (APS)
What is the Development Innovation Ventures (DIV) Annual Program Statement (APS)?
DIV is a USAID funding opportunity designed to find, test, and help scale innovative solutions to major international development challenges. It supports ideas that can measurably improve lives, especially for people living in poverty or extreme poverty and other vulnerable populations, using a staged approach that emphasizes real-world evidence.
What is DIV trying to fund, in plain terms?
DIV aims to fund innovations that can be proven to work, shown to be cost-effective, and then expanded to reach very large numbers of people. It is not primarily for routine program delivery; it is for solutions with a strong innovation and evidence focus and a credible pathway to scale.
What makes an idea a strong fit for DIV?
A strong fit is an intervention that (1) addresses a real development problem in a country where USAID operates, (2) is genuinely innovative (or a meaningful, cost-reducing adaptation of something that exists), (3) can produce measurable outcomes, (4) can be tested rigorously or has evidence already, and (5) has a realistic plan to scale and last beyond DIV funding.
What sectors or themes are eligible under DIV?
DIV is intentionally broad and open to innovations across virtually any development sector aligned with USAID's mission. Examples listed include agriculture, health, education, energy, environment, food and nutrition, community development, disaster prevention and relief, employment and workforce issues, governance and justice-related areas, and science and technology, among others.
Does DIV only fund technology-based innovations?
No. DIV may support new technologies, but it also funds new service delivery models, new financing approaches, cost-reducing adaptations of existing interventions, and strategies to increase adoption of solutions that are already proven but not widely used.
What is the staged process mentioned for DIV awards?
DIV uses a staged funding approach where expectations for evidence increase as funding requests get larger. Early-stage efforts may focus on feasibility and initial promise, while later-stage support is oriented toward rigorous evaluation and expansion of solutions that have already demonstrated measurable results.
How important is evidence of impact in DIV applications?
Evidence and learning are defining features of DIV. Applicants are expected to generate and use evidence of impact. The amount of proof expected depends on the stage and how much funding is requested, with larger awards carrying higher expectations for an existing evidence base or a credible plan for rigorous testing.
Does DIV consider commercial viability?
Yes, where relevant. DIV expects applicants to generate and use evidence not only of impact, but also, when applicable, commercial viability as part of demonstrating a plausible pathway to sustainability and scale.
What does DIV mean by "scale" and "sustainability"?
DIV places heavy weight on whether an innovation can expand to reach very large numbers of people and continue after DIV support ends. Applicants are expected to describe a plausible pathway to scale through commercial routes, adoption by developing country governments, uptake by donors and philanthropies, or blended approaches that combine public and private financing.
Is DIV funding meant to support an innovation indefinitely?
No. A key expectation is that successful innovations should not depend on indefinite DIV funding. The proposal should show how the work can continue and grow through market mechanisms, institutional adoption, or other durable financing arrangements once DIV support ends.
Who is eligible to apply for the DIV APS?
The opportunity is broadly accessible. Eligible applicants include US and non-US organizations and individuals. It is open to nonprofit and for-profit entities as well as public institutions, including nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status, institutions of higher education (public and private), small businesses and other for-profit organizations, individuals, and various government entities.
Are individuals allowed to apply?
Yes. Individuals are listed among the eligible applicant types.
Can non-US organizations apply?
Yes. The eligibility specifically includes both US and non-US organizations.
Are for-profit companies eligible?
Yes. Small businesses and other for-profit organizations are included in the eligibility list.
Are nonprofits required to have 501(c)(3) status to apply?
No. The eligibility list includes nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status.
What kinds of government entities can apply?
The eligibility list includes state, county, city, township, and special district governments, as well as certain tribal governments and tribal organizations.
Where must the proposed work take place?
The main practical constraint noted is that the proposed work must take place in a country where USAID operates.
Is there a cost sharing or matching requirement?
No. The announcement notes there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.
What types of activities are not a good fit for DIV funding?
DIV is clear it does not want to fund projects that resemble standard development practice (for example, straightforward construction or conventional service provision without a meaningful innovation component). It also excludes basic scientific research such as laboratory work that is not yet aimed at producing measurable development outcomes in the field.
Does DIV fund planning tools or diagnostic exercises?
DIV indicates it is not looking for planning tools or diagnostics that are unlikely to translate into measurable development impact.
Will DIV fund solutions designed for a very narrow context?
DIV notes it is not looking for solutions designed for extremely narrow or highly specific contexts with little potential to expand.
Will DIV fund a private-sector business expansion plan?
DIV states it is not looking for private-sector business expansion proposals that do not credibly lead to significant development impacts for poor or vulnerable populations.
What federal agency runs this opportunity?
This is a discretionary funding opportunity offered by the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
What is the CFDA number for this opportunity?
The opportunity is listed under CFDA 98.001 (USAID Foreign Assistance for Programs Overseas).
What funding instruments does DIV use?
The funding instruments listed include cooperative agreements and grants.
What is the funding opportunity number for this APS?
The funding opportunity number is APS-OAA-14-000002.
When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?
The opportunity was posted on April 15, 2014, with a closing date of April 15, 2015.
Is there a minimum or maximum award amount?
The listing shows the award floor and ceiling values as 0. However, DIV uses a staged funding approach in practice, so award sizes depend on the stage of the innovation and the strength of evidence supporting it, rather than a single fixed amount.
How does DIV distinguish itself from routine development grants?
DIV is best understood as an innovation and evidence-to-scale program. It selects for proposals that are innovative, measurable, cost-effective, and built with a credible plan to expand and endure beyond the grant period, rather than funding routine service delivery or conventional implementation without an innovation component.
What populations does DIV prioritize benefiting?
DIV prioritizes approaches that can measurably improve lives, especially for people living in poverty or extreme poverty and for other vulnerable populations.
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