DIV Fund Grant
Worth applying?
Substantial non-dilutive funding for proven innovations tackling large-scale development challenges in lower-income markets.
Signal strength
High signal
Deadline
Rolling basis
Location
Remote
Amount / benefit
Up to 1.5 Million USD
Time to apply
multi-day
Description
The DIV Fund provides milestone-based grants for innovations that can cost-effectively improve the lives of people in low- and middle-income countries and ultimately reach more than one million people. Funding is structured across three stages: up to US$200,000 for pilots, up to US$500,000 for testing and positioning for scale, and up to US$1.5 million for scaling. It supports businesses, social enterprises, nonprofits, universities and other organisations across sectors. Innovations must already be post-prototype and tested with real users; idea-stage projects are not eligible.
Eligibility
- Must be a legally incorporated organisation; eligible types include startups, businesses, social enterprises, nonprofits, universities and research institutions. - Innovation must address challenges in low- or middle-income countries; projects implemented exclusively in high-income countries are not eligible. - Must be post-prototype and already tested or used in a real-world setting. - Must demonstrate potential for measurable impact, cost-effectiveness and durable scale, with potential to reach more than one million people. - Applicants can apply directly to the funding stage matching their maturity; receiving Stage 1 funding first is not required. - Applications are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year
Tags
Fit notes
Good fit if
- Post-prototype founders with real-world usage and evidence of initial demand.
- Impact-focused startups serving low- and middle-income countries with potential to reach millions.
- Validated ventures seeking substantial non-dilutive capital to test impact or scale.
Probably skip if
- Idea-stage or lab-stage teams without real-world deployment.
- Australian startups whose solution is implemented exclusively in high-income markets.
Why it matters
DIV offers unusually substantial grant funding, reaching US$1.5M at the scale stage, without taking equity. The bar is correspondingly high: founders need to demonstrate measurable impact, cost-effectiveness and a credible path to very large-scale adoption.