Submission deadline
DigiFI is accepting proposals. Applications are open on a rolling basis and will be reviewed every few weeks. If a quicker response is required, please write to us and we get back to you as soon as possible.
This call is open to J-PAL affiliates and Invited Researchers, as well as to African scholars. The research topics should fall within the scope of DigiFI as laid out in the DigiFI framing paper, be in partnership with a government, private sector and/or an NGO, and have a focus on sub-Saharan Africa.
Please direct any questions to digifiafrica@povertyactionlab.org.
Research funding opportunities
For this round of grants, DigiFI Africa is accepting the following categories of proposals:
- Policy Outreach grants (up to $10,000),
- Proposal Development grants (up to $15,000),
- Pilot studies (up to $75,000), and
- Full-Scale RCTs (up to $400,000).
Research agenda
DigiFI aims to fill this evidence gap by funding cutting-edge research projects focused on the study of innovative government, private sector, and NGO payment systems and ID reforms. The landscape of these themes is outlined in the DigiFI Africa framing paper.
Eligibility
J-PAL affiliates, J-PAL postdocs, and J-PAL invited researchers are eligible to apply for any type of DigiFI Africa funding.
Resident African Scholars, who are based at an academic institution based in sub-Saharan Africa and who have completed their PhD, are eligible to initially apply for proposal development grants and pilot grants. Non-resident African Scholars are also eligible to apply for the same categories of funding. Non-resident African scholars include individuals who have completed high school in Africa, have completed their PhD, and are based in an academic institution outside of Africa. Targeted mentorship will be provided to African Scholars who receive funds from the Initiative. Full RCT funding eligibility is extended to resident and non-resident African Scholars who have successfully completed a pilot funded with J-PAL.
PhD students with a J-PAL affiliate or J-PAL Africa invited researcher on their thesis committee are eligible to apply for proposal development grants or up to $75,000 in pilot or full-scale RCT funding.
Geographic focus
The DigiFI Africa initiative spans Africa, with a focus on sub-Saharan Africa. DigiFI Africa network researchers are encouraged to submit proposals for research conducted in the focus region, in partnership with governments and/or local implementing organizations.
Application instructions
J-PAL has transitioned to a new application portal and grant management system (GMS), WizeHive. Please refer to the WizeHive Application Instructions for information on how to create a new login. Or, if you have already successfully submitted an LOI or proposal to a J-PAL competition, simply log into WizeHive with your credentials.
- To start an application for Policy Outreach grants, click here.
- To start an application for Proposal Development grants, click here.
- To start an application for Pilot studies, click here.
- To start an application for Full randomized evaluation research projects (RCTs), click here.
Please review the proposal guidelines at the bottime of t the following documents for more information on our funding process:
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DigiFI Africa Frequently Asked Questions includes information on the scope of DigiFI Africa, support that the DigiFI Africa team can provide, eligibility, and DigiFI Africa proposal requirements.
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African Scholars Frequently Asked Questions covers topics specifically related to African Scholars including eligibility requirements, what funding can be used for, how the proposal process works, what to consider when budgeting for your project, and more.