Most international development grants fund organizations delivering services. Emergent Ventures funds ideas, specifically "zero-to-one" concepts that could reshape how society works. It's a different theory of change, and it's open now on a rolling basis.

What we know: Launched in 2018 as a low-overhead initiative, Emergent Ventures backs entrepreneurs, researchers, and organizations with scalable ideas across science, technology, policy, and education. The program explicitly states there is no typical grant range or average award amount. In practice, recent awards skew toward elite research institutions and policy ventures rather than traditional service-delivery nonprofits.

Realistic fit: innovators and research-oriented organizations with a high-concept, scalable project that fits the "zero-to-one" framing, not direct-service providers.

The application is brief and the program runs year-round, so the main cost is drafting time. Before applying, read through past recipients on the Mercatus site to gauge whether your project's theory of change matches what they've funded. If you know a researcher or policy-oriented org working on scalable global development ideas, send this their way.