Review of the CPWF small grants initiative | Land Portal

Resource information

Date of publication: 
December 2011
Resource Language: 
ISBN / Resource ID: 
handle:10568/4198
License of the resource: 

This working paper reviews the experiences of the Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF) with 14 “small

grants for impact” that were contracted in early 2006 and operated for periods of 12 to 18 months. For a total

investment of under US$1 million – less than the equivalent of a typical 3-5 year CPWF research for development

project in Phase 1, the small grant projects made significant contributions to identifying water and food technology

for specific end users (thus showing the potential of CPWF research in general); to better understanding of

adoption; to stimulating research by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and to better connecting CPWF

researchers in general to the reality of the development process. Four of the small grants were outstanding in their

contribution across all four of these criteria; six others made significant contributions to one or more, representing a

high success rate for the original investment. The quality of many of the 126 eligible proposals received was sufficient

to have identified at least 20 more projects suitable for immediate funding at that time in late 2005. Unfortunately,

other demands on CPWF funding and priorities on research set by the Consortium Steering Committee made

it impossible to support these. This review concludes that calls for small grant proposals are an effective way of

obtaining local impact and of connecting a wide range of relevant institutions to the efforts of a network such as

CPWF

Authors and Publishers

Author(s), editor(s), contributor(s): 

Woolley, J.

Publisher(s): 

CGIAR (CGIAR)

CGIAR is the only worldwide partnership addressing agricultural research for development, whose work contributes to the global effort to tackle poverty, hunger and major nutrition imbalances, and environmental degradation.


Data provider

CGIAR (CGIAR)

CGIAR is the only worldwide partnership addressing agricultural research for development, whose work contributes to the global effort to tackle poverty, hunger and major nutrition imbalances, and environmental degradation.


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