The Retail Finance Distribution (ReFinD) research initiative is an Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic (ISSER) of the University of Ghana led initiative with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Applications are open for the second round of ReFinD sub-grants for research in retail finance distribution. There are five categories of sub-grants: proposal development, pilot projects, natural experiments, extensions, and green field evaluations.  

Category	Sub-grant award (USD)
Proposal development	$5,000
Pilot research	$40,000 - $60,000
Natural experiment	$40,000 - $60,000
Extension of an existing research	$100,000 - $125,000
Greenfield research project	$250,000 - $450,000

Click here to read more on grant categories.

The grants are targeted at research institutions, policymakers, and commercial players with a thematic interest in digital financial service (DFS) retail distribution, and agent banking/ networks across Sub-Sahara Africa, South East Asia, and South Asia. Applicants are invited to consult the Framework paper “Digital Finance Retail Distribution Networks in Low- and Middle Income Countries: A Research Agenda” to better understand the policy motivation and research questions acceptable for consideration under this scheme.

Apply here.

The closing date for applications is Friday, March 31, 2023.

Information Sessions

For further clarification on the RFP and the application process, you are invited to register for an information session.  Please click here to register.