Research Initiatives
King Center research initiatives bring together communities of scholars working on sustained global development and poverty alleviation research agendas.
Learn more about the Request for Proposals (RFP) and application process

Adaptation and Resilience to Climate Change in the Global South Initiative
Given the amount of unavoidable warming and the growing movement in the international community to provide funding for adaptation, the initiative aims to identify where adaptation has occurred and what policies can effectively encourage future climate adaptation and resilience.
Read more about Adaptation and Resilience to Climate Change in the Global South
Climate Resilience Measurement Lab
The Climate Resilience Measurement Lab aims to create standardized tools for measuring resilience at the individual and household levels. By integrating these tools into other ongoing large-scale surveys, this effort could transform how governments, NGOs, and researchers understand and respond to climate impacts.
Read more about the Climate Resilience Measurement Lab
Extreme Poverty, Infrastructure, and Climate Initiative
The Extreme Poverty, Infrastructure, and Climate (EPIC) Initiative seeks to shed light on how infrastructure investments can spur poverty alleviation, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
Read more about the EPIC initiative
Gender-based Violence in the Developing World Initiative
Initiative team members aim to better understand the larger context of violence against women in low- and middle-income countries.
Read more about Gender-based Violence in the Developing World
HIV Wastewater Epidemiology in South Africa Initiative
The HIV Wastewater Epidemiology in South Africa Initiative is collaborating with South African scientists to explore whether wastewater surveillance can detect unrecognized HIV transmission and drug resistance: a potential cost-effective, anonymous way to track outbreaks and target interventions in high-risk communities.
Read more about the HIV Wastewater Epidemiology in South Africa Initiative
Initiative on Combating Lead Exposure
This initiative is working to reduce lead exposure, including in the turmeric wholesale and acid battery recycling industries. The initiative is a multidisciplinary and transnational effort.
Read more about reducing lead exposure
Politics, Accountability, and Climate Transition (PACT) Lab
The lab is investigating how pressures emanating from the natural world in the wake of climate change increasingly shape politics in the Global South, including whether climate change itself could undermine the political feasibility of meaningful action on mitigation or adaptation.
Read more about Climate Change and Political Mobilization in the Global SouthPrevious Initiatives
Read more about initiatives previously funded by the King Center.
Read more about the King Center's previously supported initiatives