Fund for Innovation in Development (FID) Grants 2026: A Year-Round Open Call Offering €50,000 to €4 Million to Test, Evaluate, and Scale Solutions Against Poverty and Inequality

Fund for Innovation in Development (FID) Grants 2026: A Year-Round Open Call Offering €50,000 to €4 Million to Test, Evaluate, and Scale Solutions Against Poverty and Inequality

Most development funding arrives on a fixed calendar: a call opens, a deadline closes, and if your idea was not ready that quarter, you wait a year. The Fund for Innovation in Development (FID) works differently. It runs an open call all year long, and it is built to follow an idea through its whole life — from a first pilot in real conditions, to a rigorous impact evaluation, to a full scale-up reaching hundreds of thousands or millions of people. Grants range from €50,000 for early preparation up to €4 million for scaling a proven solution. That structure makes FID one of the more distinctive funders in international development: it is less interested in a polished promise than in evidence, and it is willing to keep backing a project as the evidence grows.

FID is not a small or speculative outfit. It is backed by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, the French Ministry of Economics and Finance, and the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), and in May 2026 the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) joined as a partner. Since 2021 it has received more than 6,600 applications, funded 114 projects, and committed roughly €48.5 million. If you run an organization with an idea that could measurably cut poverty or inequality in a low- or middle-income country, this page explains what FID funds, who qualifies, how the staged grants work, and how to give your application a real chance.

Key Details at a Glance

What FID Offers: Staged Grants From Pilot to Scale

The heart of FID’s model is a gradual, staged approach. Rather than one grant size for everyone, FID matches the amount of money to the maturity of the idea and the strength of the evidence behind it. An organization can enter at the stage that fits where its project stands, and — if results are strong — can come back for the next stage. The main grant types are:

• Preparation grant — up to €50,000. This supports the groundwork needed before a pilot or an impact evaluation: designing the intervention, lining up partners, scoping the study, or preparing the field conditions. It is a way to get an early idea ready to be tested properly.
• Stage 1 — Pilot project, up to €200,000. This funds a first test of an innovation in real conditions, so the team can learn whether the idea is operationally feasible and worth evaluating more rigorously.
• Stage 2 — Impact evaluation, up to €1.5 million. For innovations that have already been piloted, this stage funds a rigorous evaluation — often in partnership with academic researchers — to measure whether the intervention actually delivers the impact it claims.
• Stage 3 — Scaling up, up to €4 million. This is the largest grant, reserved for innovations whose impact has been demonstrated. It supports the expansion of a proven solution toward much wider reach.
• Transformation of public policies — up to €500,000. This helps build the capacity of governments to integrate evidence-based innovations into their public policies, so proven solutions can become durable public programs rather than one-off projects.

Because the call is continuous, the money is not the only thing on offer. FID positions itself as a partner in the innovation cycle: it works “in synergy with the academic world,” pushes for credible measurement, and aims to accelerate the deployment of what works. Winning an FID grant is therefore also a signal of quality — it tells other funders that an independent, evaluation-minded body judged the idea serious enough to test.

Who FID Is For

FID is a strong fit for organizations that sit at the intersection of practical delivery and evidence. The clearest candidates are:

• NGOs and social enterprises running programs in health, education, agriculture, financial inclusion, climate resilience, or gender equality that they believe could work at much larger scale.
• Research centers and universities partnering with implementers to test and evaluate interventions rigorously.
• Companies — including for-profit ventures — with a product or service model that could reduce poverty or inequality if its impact were proven and its reach expanded.
• Public bodies seeking to embed evidence-based innovations into national or local programs.

The common thread is not the type of organization but the mindset: FID wants applicants who are genuinely curious about whether their idea works, willing to have it measured honestly, and ambitious about scale. If you are certain your program works and uninterested in testing that claim, FID is probably not your funder. If you have a promising approach and want the resources to prove it — and then grow it — this is close to a purpose-built opportunity.

Eligibility in Detail

The eligibility rules are specific, and reading them carefully saves wasted effort:

• Organizations, not individuals. All types of organizations and collectives may apply, either independently or as part of a consortium. Applications submitted by individuals are not eligible, and neither are applications from international or multilateral organizations.
• Where the project runs matters most. The project must be implemented in a low- or middle-income country that is eligible for Official Development Assistance, as defined by the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) list. FID currently excludes projects in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.
• Sector is open. FID states that there are no sectoral restrictions — innovations from any field of action can apply. In practice, its portfolio has concentrated in areas such as education, health, climate, and gender equality, but the door is open to any sector where a credible case can be made for reducing poverty and inequality.
• Evidence orientation. Across every stage, FID looks for a plausible theory of change, a realistic plan to generate or use rigorous evidence, and a credible route toward scale. The higher the grant stage, the stronger the prior evidence you are expected to bring.

Because the applicant organization and the country of implementation can differ, international NGOs and research partners can apply as long as the project itself is delivered in an eligible country and the lead is not an individual or a multilateral body. When in doubt about your specific configuration, confirm against the official rules before investing time in a full proposal.

How the Application Process Works

FID’s call is open throughout the year, and applications are submitted online rather than by email or mail. The organization has been upgrading its submission platform; the redesigned portal at fundinnovation.wiin.io is expected to accept applications again from 1 September 2026. Applicants typically need to prepare:

• A completed application form describing the innovation, the problem it addresses, the target population, and the expected impact.
• A detailed budget, usually on FID’s own budget template (an Excel file), broken down in line with the grant stage you are requesting.
• Supporting documents, which vary by stage — for example, evidence from an earlier pilot, an evaluation design, letters from partners, or governance documents for a consortium.

Because grants are staged, the first decision an applicant makes is which stage to enter. Requesting a €4 million scale-up grant without demonstrated impact will not succeed; requesting a €50,000 preparation grant when you already have strong evaluation results may leave value on the table. Match your request honestly to where your evidence stands.

After submission, proposals move through FID’s review, which weighs the potential impact on poverty and inequality, the rigor of the proposed evidence generation, the feasibility of implementation, the strength of the team and partnerships, and the credibility of the path to scale. Given the continuous nature of the call, applicants should not expect an instantaneous decision — plan on a review period and keep your organization’s project timeline flexible.

Timeline and Deadlines

There is no single annual deadline to circle on a calendar, which is both a convenience and a discipline. The convenience is obvious: you can apply when your project is genuinely ready, not when an arbitrary window happens to open. The discipline is subtler — an always-open call rewards organizations that prepare thoroughly rather than rushing to beat a date.

The one date worth noting for 2026 is the reopening of the submission platform on 1 September 2026, following its redesign. If you are aiming to apply in the second half of 2026, plan your proposal drafting and internal approvals so that your materials are ready once the new portal is live. Beyond that, treat the timeline as your own: identify the grant stage that fits, assemble your evidence and budget, and submit when the case is strongest.

Preparation Strategy: What a Competitive Application Looks Like

FID’s evaluation-first culture shapes what a strong application contains. A few principles consistently separate credible proposals from weak ones:

• Lead with the problem and the population. Be precise about who is affected, how many, and how poverty or inequality shows up in their lives. Vague beneficiaries signal a vague project.
• State a clear theory of change. Explain the causal chain from your activities to the outcomes you expect, and be honest about the assumptions that have to hold. Reviewers who fund rigorous evaluation notice when a theory of change is hand-waved.
• Bring the right evidence for your stage. For a pilot, show why the idea is promising and feasible. For an evaluation grant, show your pilot results and a sound evaluation design. For scale-up, show demonstrated impact and a realistic growth plan, including unit economics and delivery partners.
• Design measurement seriously. FID values rigor and academic partnership. If you can name a credible research partner or describe how you will measure impact convincingly, do so.
• Build a realistic budget. Tie each cost to an activity and to the stage you are requesting. Inflated or vague budgets undermine otherwise strong proposals.
• Be explicit about scale and sustainability. Even at the pilot stage, show that you have thought about what success would eventually look like at ten or a hundred times the size, and how it might become self-sustaining or absorbed into public policy.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Requesting the wrong stage. Asking for scale-up money without proven impact — or over-modest preparation funding when your evidence is already strong — signals a mismatch between ambition and readiness.
• Ignoring the eligibility geography. Projects must run in an eligible low- or middle-income country, and Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger are excluded. Confirm your country before you write.
• Applying as an individual. FID funds organizations and collectives, not individuals, and not international or multilateral organizations. If you are an individual innovator, you will likely need an organizational host or consortium.
• Treating evaluation as an afterthought. A proposal that promises impact but has no plan to measure it credibly runs against the core of what FID exists to support.
• Underestimating the budget template. A rushed or internally inconsistent budget can sink an otherwise compelling idea. Use FID’s template carefully and reconcile every figure with your narrative.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a deadline? No fixed annual deadline — the call is open year-round. The submission platform is expected to reopen for applications on 1 September 2026 after a redesign.

How much can I request? From up to €50,000 for a preparation grant to up to €4 million for scaling a proven innovation, with pilot (up to €200,000), impact evaluation (up to €1.5 million), and public-policy transformation (up to €500,000) stages in between.

Can a for-profit company apply? Yes. All types of organizations and collectives may apply, provided the applicant is not an individual or an international/multilateral organization and the project runs in an eligible country.

Do I need prior evaluation results? It depends on the stage. Preparation and pilot grants are for earlier ideas; impact-evaluation and scale-up grants expect progressively stronger evidence.

Which countries qualify? Low- and middle-income countries eligible for Official Development Assistance under the OECD DAC list, with Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger currently excluded.

Who funds FID? It is backed by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, the French Ministry of Economics and Finance, the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), and — since May 2026 — the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

Official Links and Next Steps

Start at FID’s official “launch your project” page, which explains the grant stages and application requirements, and use the online portal to apply when your proposal is ready.

• How to apply / grant stages: https://fundinnovation.dev/en/launch-project
• FID homepage: https://fundinnovation.dev/en
• Application portal: fundinnovation.wiin.io (submissions resume 1 September 2026)

If your organization has a promising idea to reduce poverty or inequality, the practical next steps are straightforward: decide which grant stage matches your evidence, gather your supporting documents and budget, confirm your country’s eligibility, and prepare a proposal that treats measurement as seriously as delivery. Because the call never closes, the deadline is effectively the one you set for yourself — so the organizations that win are usually the ones that prepare rather than rush.