Working together, we are now pleased to make a Call for applications for funding.

For this Call, we are seeking to attract bids from researchers who whose work will further knowledge and public benefit which will positively impact at least two of the following areas:

    • Improving land tenure and property rights
    • Improving the resilience and sustainability of settlements
    • Providing additional insights into urban-related development challenges
    • Improving skills and capacity among the local land and property profession to apply best practice to land and property matters
    • Providing additional pathways to the effective use of technology to support effective land and property management

We expect to award up to £10,000 (ten thousand pounds sterling) of grants in this round,  probably as one award.

Applicants may bid for:
A grant of up to £10,000 to produce an original piece of research normally based on empirical work or data modelling. For this the timescale is negotiable, but we suggest a target of about 6-12 months.

Who is eligible to apply?
Applicants can be individuals or teams of researchers, based in a university, commercial business, or a not-for-profit organisation.  Applications must have a developing country focus (defined as being undertaken within or in partnership with a developing country*, which will have lasting benefit to a community and/or society of one or more developing countries). Applicants with cofunding are encouraged.

Timeline for applications
A single stage applications process will apply. Closing date for applications is Friday 4th July 2025 at 1700 GMT.
All applications will be considered and those selected will be notified by email by no later than Friday 1st August 2025.

*Those countries defined by the World Bank as low income, lower-middle income or upper-middle income

Criteria for selection
    • Fit to the call in terms of both themes and principles.
    • Evidence of innovative thinking and originality of the bid.
    • Realism in relation to matching the resource base to the work anticipated.
    • Track record of applicants (links to website CVs are allowed) judged in relation to the bid.
    • Research skills and the ability to write clearly, to a very high standard, in the English language.
    • Quality of the application in terms of its aims, methodology and proposed outcomes.
    • Likelihood that the work will provide outcomes that further knowledge and/or thinking in the field and which support at least one developing country.
    • Presence of matched funding is not a criterion.

The decision of the Trustees as to which applications fund is final and there is no appeal procedure against the judgement. Limited feedback will be supplied to all unsuccessful applicants, but we will not be able to enter into protracted correspondence.

Please note that that we will not fund:
    • Interview transcriptions
    • Travel for interviews