Leveraging IFAD's Rural Sector Performance Assessment for Policy and Investment

IFAD is procuring a partner to strengthen its Rural Sector Performance Assessment — the instrument that scores countries' rural policy environments and helps drive IFAD's own investment allocations. The work is analytical and methodological rather than field research: improving how rural policy performance is measured, and making the resulting evidence usable for policy and investment decisions. Universities, think tanks and research institutes are named as eligible applicants alongside NGOs and private-sector organisations.

Open to non-profit organisations, private-sector companies, universities, think tanks and research institutes. The call is not geographically restricted in its main text, so a Malawian university is eligible to apply, though applicants should check the Grant Identification Note for regional specifics. The counterpart-contribution requirement of at least 20% is a real constraint and must be budgeted — in-kind contributions count.

Analytical and methodological work on rural sector performance assessment, policy engagement, capacity development and dissemination, delivered under an IFAD grant agreement.

Email a Grant Concept Note on the IFAD template, an activity-based budget, a self-certification of eligibility, and an institutional profile evidencing relevant experience, with the subject line 'CFP RSPA Grant application', to the address given on the call page by 4 September 2026, 12:00 CET. An online Q&A was held on 21 July 2026.

Timeline: Expressions of interest encouraged (but optional) by 31 July 2026 | Q&A session held 21 July 2026 | Full proposals due 4 September 2026, 12:00 CET