Development Initiatives Poverty Research (DI)

Background

Development Initiatives Poverty Research (DI) is an advocacy organization founded in 1993 to research and report on policies meant to reduce national and international poverty rates. ⁴

According to its LinkedIn page, DI reportedly has 11 to 50 employees. Its primary location is in Bristol, England, and it has other locations in Washington, D.C.; Kampala, Uganda; and Nairobi, Kenya. ⁵

Activities

Development Initiatives Poverty Research (DI) participates in several partnerships with other organizations that advocate for to environmentalist “sustainable” development practices. As of 2024, it was a member of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data (GSPDD), GSPDD’s Technical Advisory Group as well as the UK-based Anti-Inequality group Bond. In addition, the group had formally endorsed the International Open Data Charter. It also collaborates on projects with the Inclusive Futures Initiative, the Somali Institute for Development Research, the Asia Foundation, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), and Oxfam. ³

DI claims to conduct research through data analysis while publishing its reporting online. It also advocates for providing said research to politicians and members of government as a means to promoting policies intended to improve “public finance and private investment” while “challeng[ing] systemic and structural barriers to equity and support[ing] the reform of existing systems.” ⁶

Financials

According to its 2022 tax filings, Development Initiatives Poverty Research’s (DI’s) American branch reported a total revenue of $605,908, total expenses of $1,550,907, and began the year with net assets of $978,771. ⁷

Funding

In 2019, Development Initiatives Poverty Research (DI) received a grant of $1,575,000 from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation meant to “to increase the quality, availability, accessibility and use of data and evidence to better target key resources to improve the lives of the poorest and most vulnerable people.” ⁸ The grant was filed under the Gates Foundation’s “global health and development” category. ⁸

In 2022, DI received grants from the United Nations Office for Project Services (£1,031,287, or $1,353,202.21), the Canadian International Development Agency (£639,757, or $839,456.51), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (£502,713, or $659,634.36), USAID (£173,655, or $227,861.23), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (£157,987, or $207,302.48), the SDG Kenya Forum (£744,962, or $977,501.14) and the World Bank (£76,684, or $100,620.83). ⁹

According to its website, a core grantee, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation ceased funding to the DI in 2022, resulting in a yearly income drop of £365,595 (or $479,715.11). ¹⁰

Grantmaking

In 2022, Development Initiatives Poverty Research’s American branch reported that it granted $1,354,979 to several European-based grantmaking organizations that year. ²

Leadership

As of 2024, Sue Wardell serves as the board chair of Development Initiatives Poverty Research (DI). Wardell previously served as the vice president of the African Development Bank and as the regional director of west and southern Africa for Save the Children UK. ¹¹