Grants Management

GFII CitiIPA Research Funds

 I. RESEARCH FUNDS

GFII manages two research funds to address these evidence and innovation gaps: the Yale Savings and Payments Research Fund supported by theBill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Citi IPA Financial Capability Research Fund supported by the Citi Foundation.

► The Yale Savings and Payments Research Fund (YASPR) supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and managed by IPA in collaboration with Yale University, supports studies on innovations encouraging and allowing the poor to save more towards their own life goals. With a focus on engaging new technologies and delivery channels such as mobile and agent banking, the projects under this fund study what works best for the poor in mobilizing savings and facilitating payments.

The focus areas of the fund are: 

1.  Innovations that most effectively enable improved usage of savings and payments services by the poor (through reduced cost, reduced risk, improved learning, behavioral incentives, regulatory reform, etc.); and

2.  The impact that the use of improved savings products and payments channels has on the welfare of the poor.

The fund encourages research projects focused on Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia as well as applications from in-country researchers based in those regions or from teams with one or more in-country researchers in those regions.

YASPR has funded 12 projects for a total of $890,000 awarded over two competitive rounds (see the list of funded projects). In the upcoming round, the fund is expected to award up to $380,000 in new grants.

►  The Citi IPA Financial Capability Research Fund (FCRF) supported by the Citi Foundation, aims to contribute to the sparse evidence on ways to improve financial capability by supporting rigorous evaluations of promising interventions in three areas where financial service providers can act to improve the financial capabilities of potential and existing clients.

The focus areas of the fund are:

1.  Product-linked financial education;

2.  Incentives for behavior change and use of financial services; and

3.  Product design as a way to encourage appropriate use of financial instruments.

The fund encourages research projects in all countries except the United States, with a particular interest in projects from emerging markets such as Brazil, China, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, Poland, Philippines, Russia, South Africa, and Turkey. 

FCRF has awarded a total of $770,000 across 6 projects in the first round of competitive funds (see the list of funded projects). In the upcoming round, the fund is expected to award up to $730,000.

Expressions of interest will be reviewed and considered based on their relevance to the research agenda of either fund managed by the Global Financial Inclusion initiative.

  Criteria 

  Application Instructions 

  Application Guidelines download 

  Application Form

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source: http://www.poverty-action.org

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