The winter 2024/25 call for proposals is open from 2 December 2024-2 February 2025.
The Agri-SME Evidence Fund invites proposals for grants up to £100,000 that address research gaps at the intersection of agriculture, finance, and SMEs. Proposals that engage with two of these topics may be funded if the research question and findings are relevant to the research agenda (see concept note for more details).
Geographically, the priority countries are Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. Research in other low- and middle-income countries may be funded if the research question and findings are relevant to our priority countries as well as the research agenda.
We encourage research proposals from researchers based in low- and middle-income countries, PhD students, and early-career researchers.
Research topics - We are interested in projects that focus on the following:
- Increasing the supply of loans to agri-SMEs
- Increasing agri-SMEs’ demand for loans
- Understanding the impact of access to credit and technical assistance on livelihoods
- Understanding the role of enabling environments on credit markets
In addition, we aim to commission work that spans these areas while also focusing on themes such as gender, youth, food security and nutrition, climate and environment. We also prioritise creating research infrastructure and public databases that serve as public goods.
Project types - We are interested in funding the following:
- Exploratory research
- Pilots and proof of concept
- Fully developed research projects
For more details on these project types, please see the guidelines for applicants.
Research methods - We are interested in funding the following:
Quantitative research with strong counterfactuals and a sound research methodology. We also encourage qualitative research that is conducted in combination with quantitative approaches (mixed methods).
We will not fund projects that are a) purely qualitative, b) not grounded in sound economic research principles, or c) relevant only to middle- and high-income countries.
Application process – Please submit all proposals through the online application form and refer to the guidelines for applicants for more information on how to complete the application. For our research agenda, please see our concept note.
Proposal documents:
Timeline of current round of proposals:
- 2 December 2024: Call for proposals opens
- 2 February 2025: Call for proposal closes
- 3 February 2025-23 March 2025: Proposal consideration
- End of March 2025: Announcement of successful applicants
In case of questions, please see our FAQs or reach out to agri-sme-evidencefund@theigc.org.