The Development Impact Fund (DIF) is a World Bank-executed multi-donor trust fund dedicated to integrating scientific knowledge into policymaking and fostering the generation and adoption of evidence across sectors and countries. As global challenges intensify, the need for innovative and evidence-based solutions in development becomes increasingly urgent. DIF was founded to address this critical need by bridging the gap between research and practice, pushing policy interventions toward their efficient frontier based on rigorous scientific research.
Our approach involves fostering evidence-informed adaptive policy change, redefining the production function of research, and leveraging data and AI analytics for just-in-time policy advice. We develop customized data and impact evaluation evidence ecosystems to produce actionable information and recommend specific policy pathways to maximize impact. This work is based on a co-production model aimed at transferring capacity and know-how to partners, enabling mid-course corrections and scaling successful policy instruments to achieve policy outcomes, unlocking pathways to prosperity and equity.