Focusing on evidence of impact in public policy

In their efforts to reduce poverty and inequality, governments are striving to be more effective and only implement "what works". FID awards grants to support this approach, by fostering an impact culture and making optimal use of data to steer public policy. FID provides public institutions with two tools to help them incorporate evidence of impact into their strategic decisions and policies.

FID offers a specific grant for public institutions to help them define and develop policies based on evidence of impact. This grant is for public entities aiming to incorporate evidence of impact into their decision-making processes. Public entities can work with technical or research partners to build their capacities in decision-making based on evidence of impact.

This grant may be used to finance, among other things:

• Improvement of data systems.
• Training on impact evaluation methodologies and how to implement them.
• Use of existing impact evidence.
• Development of research agendas and research partnerships.
• Capacity-building, and improvement of the resources and processes needed to run pilot projects and incorporate impact evidence into public decision-making.

Examples of projects funded by FID

1. In Togo, FID is supporting three projects via its PIPP grant:

• A partnership with the Ministry of Grassroots Development and the NGO, IDinsight, focused on building the Ministry's monitoring and evaluation capacities by providing tools, methods, and training to standardize indicators and improve data visualization.

• Togo's National Identification Agency has developed a research agenda to prioritize the improvements required for more effective social protection, with support from Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA).

• The Togo Data Lab is using an AI-powered satellite imagery tool developed by the Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA), to improve agricultural data and the monitoring of public action in rural areas.

1. With support from the government, the Moroccan Foundation for the Promotion of PreSchool Education (FMPS) aims to transform education for 400,000 Moroccan children, in 24,000 schools across the country, via an innovative preschool model with an integrated monitoring platform, and a continuous learning approach. The Public Policy Transformation (TPP) support program, implemented with financing from FID in 2024, helped build the capacities of FMPS, notably to provide internal training, and develop rigorous monitoring tools. The monitoring and evaluation system, and recent skills and end-of-cycle assessments conducted with IDinsight, also highlighted ways that the monitoring and evaluation model could be improved.

FID provides public entities with funding to adapt innovative projects for widespread scale-up based on evidence of impact. This grant is designed exclusively for public institutions aiming to incorporate innovation into their policies, while adapting this innovation to public systems and the specific context.

This grant may be used to finance, among other things:

• Adaptation of innovative projects to public systems and the specific context.
• Use of impact evaluations (or existing results).
• Development of operational guides and tools.
• Training for public sector workers.

Examples of projects funded by FID

1. In Senegal, the Paris School of Economics, the Senegalese Directorate General of Taxes and Domains (DGID), and a Senegalese developer, have designed a digital app that can be used to conduct a census of real estate and calculate property tax more accurately and fairly. Impact evaluations conducted between 2021 and 2024 have revealed very promising results: 92% of households registered for the scheme and one billion CFA francs (€1.5 million) in additional tax revenue was raised.