Bill Gates Foundation’s Grant Opportunity for Agriculture-Nutrition Impact Studies

Deadline: 8 August 2014

Academic institutions, research institutions, civil society organizations, and/or private organizations in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa are invited to submit Concept Memos to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This opportunity invites applicants to conduct innovative, large-scale studies in agriculture to improve nutrition and health outcomes. This is a joint call of the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The grant program aims to deliver high-quality large-scale evidence linking agriculture, nutrition and health.

Applications can be made for large-scale, medium to long-term research studies and evaluations that will deliver robust evidence on the impact of agriculture on nutrition and health outcomes. The knowledge generated from these research studies will contribute to nutrition-sensitive programs and policies in agriculture at the national, regional and global levels.

Funding Modalities

1. Window 1: Grant of $3.5 million per project for interventions and study designs that are fully supported by existing formative and feasibility research. The grant amount is for a 5 years period.
2. Window 2: Grant of $100,000 per project for interventions that are not supported by formative and feasibility research. The grant amount is available for 6-12 month.  Proposals seeking up to $250,000 may be considered if the applicant is able to strongly justify this higher level of investment.

Applicants with significant experience of conducting research in developing country settings and evidence of successful capacity strengthening of developing country research institutions are prioritized.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants can be academic institutions, research institutions, civil society organizations, and/or private organizations demonstrating specific competencies relevant to the program.
• Applicants must be able to demonstrate past performance in the delivery of high-quality experimental or quasi-experimental research in agriculture, nutrition, or food security with first-class track record of publication of research findings in international peer-reviewed academic journals.
• Applicants must have an ability to transfer research findings to policy and program dialogue for evidence-based decision making and action.
• Applications must closely align with the goals of DFID and the foundation’s research strategies in agriculture and nutrition and clearly propose a project that will substantially contribute to filling an evidence gap at a global and/or country level on linking agriculture, nutrition and health.
• Applicants must be established organizations with partnerships in the country or countries where work will be implemented.

Selected Concept Memos will be notified by 10 November 2014 to submit full proposal.

For more information, please visit RFP Summary Agriculture-Nutrition Impact Studies.