The objectives of EARCDF include;

• To mobilize financial and non-financial resources, needed to support research in all fields of arts, humanities and sciences that is relevant for development;
• To initiate and conduct own research, geared to support the development process for the benefit of Eastern Africa as well as the human community as a whole;
• To channel the mobilized resources into supporting research institutions as well as individual researchers in the region, which conduct research that is relevant for development;
• To design and implement diverse capacity development events for the purpose of educating, training and sharing information, with the ultimate goals of imparting organizational knowledge, and developing various professional skills;
• Mobilize capacity for research, and conduct actual research and analyses on the environmental considerations for sustainable development;
• Provide advisory services and back-up data and information to various development stakeholder groups;
• Establish and manage the documentation of data and information depository, to support its activities; and
• Co-operate with different types of institutions government, local governmental and or NGOs, CBOs, advocacy Organisations, business firms, individuals and various groups in whatsoever form, with a view to achieving the aforesaid and or foregoing objectives.