Special Funding Opportunity for USAID-Terminated Projects

• Eligibility Criteria: Open to researchers whose USAID-funded projects were terminated or received a stop work order in February or March 2025.
  Eligible applicants must meet standard Weiss Fund eligibility criteria.
  Projects across all categories (Research, Pilot, Travel, Implementation & Policy) are eligible.
  Researchers not currently eligible can apply via self-nomination (rolling basis). Decisions will be made before the deadline.
  Applicants must comply with their home institution’s grant procedures (e.g., review by Sponsored Projects Office).
• Type of Funding: Emergency support
• Target Region: Research must take place in countries, regions, or populations with a per capita GDP below $11,000, with priority for those under $5,500 (based on World Bank data).
• Application Language: English

Objectives

• Support high-impact, cost-effective research aligned with the Weiss Fund’s mission to improve the lives of poor people in developing countries.
• Rescue and reconfigure research projects disrupted by USAID funding withdrawal.
• Ensure continuity of important research that can yield policy-relevant outcomes, even if on a smaller scale.

Project Themes

Projects may include, but are not limited to:

• Public health interventions (e.g., DDT spraying, micronutrient fortification)
• Civil society strengthening and education initiatives
• Analysis of NGO/aid agency influence on local economies
• Macroeconomic effects of foreign capital inflows
• Replication of existing studies or exploring negative results
• Understanding implementation scalability and generalizability

Financial Support

• Faculty: Up to $200,000
• PhD Students: Up to $50,000
• Undergraduate and Master’s Students: Up to $5,000
   

Deadline: April 14, 2025

See here to learn more and apply.

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