Governance Initiative

By providing targeted funding for rigorous evaluations of the most promising programs to improve governance, GI aims to offer guidance for implementing organizations, governments, and donors, so that policies can be guided by scientific evidence to improve development outcomes.

Funding Cycles

GI is accepting proposals as of March 28, 2025. Please see the Request for Proposals webpage for details. LOIs are due Tuesday, April 22 at 11:59 p.m. ET and proposals are due Tuesday, June 3 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Overview of standard RFP process: 

• GI has two funding cycles per year for full research projects, pilot studies, multidisciplinary projects, and travel/proposal development grants that address open questions outlined in the Governance Initiative Review Paper. RFPs are typically released August and March. 
• J-PAL affiliates, J-PAL post-docs, and invited researchers are eligible to apply for funding for full-scale evaluations (for a maximum of $400,000; typically up to $250,000), pilot studies (up to $75,000), travel/proposal development grants (up to $10,000), and multidisciplinary research grants (up to $30,000). PhD students, with support from an adviser who is a J-PAL affiliate or invited researcher, are also eligible to apply for travel/proposal development grants, multidisciplinary research grants, and up to $50,000 for a pilot or full-scale study. 
• Each proposal is reviewed by up to three referees: an academic reviewer, a policy expert(s), and a member of the GI Review Board. The Review Board makes final funding decisions.