About this opportunity
The Grooming Centre describes its university grant as a scheme to catalyse research and knowledge development in microfinance, rural development, inclusive finance, social enterprise and women in development, with the stated objective of promoting financial inclusion and widening the knowledge base in enterprise development. The 2026 edition asks students to investigate real challenges facing individuals, businesses and communities in Nigeria and to bring back evidence based ideas that policy, enterprise and community work can actually use.
What the centre funds is the research itself, and what it expects is a complete proposal, not an abstract. The scheme prints its structure plainly, Objectives, Significance of the Study, Operationalization of terms and Scope, then a literature and theoretical review whose empirical studies must fall between 2019 and 2025, a conceptual framework and hypotheses, and a methodology covering research design, study area, population, data collection, sample size and sampling technique, reliability and validity, data analysis and ethical considerations, closing with APA 6 references and the candidate's personal profile. Proposals go in as Microsoft Word documents in Times New Roman, size 12, with 1.5 line spacing, and every successful student also commits to a final soft copy of the finished project on completion.
The centre states there are no barriers to age, gender, religion or ethnicity, and qualification rests on being a postgraduate or final year undergraduate student in a Nigerian tertiary institution carrying out research in one of the named fields. No amount per award is published on the grant site, so students should treat figures circulating elsewhere on social media as unconfirmed until the centre states them. The submission window on the site's countdown closes on 23rd October 2026, so the route runs through the grant site's own Apply Now and Submit Application pages.
What you receive
- Research grant support for 150 student projects in the 2026 scheme, split into 100 undergraduate and 50 postgraduate awards
- Backing for studies that can reduce the financial burden of carrying out research at university
- A route to publish original, practical evidence on poverty reduction and enterprise development in Nigeria
- Joining a community of scheme beneficiaries the centre has supported through earlier editions, with winners from the 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023 and 2024 schemes listed on the grant site
Who can apply
- Postgraduate students or final-year undergraduate students presently carrying out research studies in a Nigerian tertiary institution
- Research must sit in financial inclusion, microfinance, rural development, social enterprise, MSMEs, technological development, digital finance, youth in development, women in development, or any other study aimed at lifting people out of poverty
- The centre states there are no barriers to age, gender, religion or ethnicity
- Applicants must be able to submit a complete research proposal with the printed structure, plus their personal profile
Who should not apply
- Students outside Nigerian tertiary institutions are not addressed by the published qualification line
- Proposals whose empirical literature review falls outside the 2019 to 2025 timeframe do not meet the printed format rule
- First and second year undergraduates are not covered, the scheme names postgraduate and final-year undergraduate students
Documents to prepare
- A full research proposal in Microsoft Word format, Times New Roman, size 12, 1.5 line spacing
- Sections covering Objectives, Significance of the Study, Operationalization of terms, Scope of the Study, Literature and theoretical review, Preamble, Conceptual literature, Empirical literature (2019 to 2025), Theoretical orientation, Conceptual framework, Hypotheses, Methodology with research design, study area, study population, data collection, sample size and sampling technique, reliability and validity, data analysis and ethical consideration
- References in APA 6 format
- The candidate's personal profile
- A commitment to submit a final soft copy of the research project on completion
How to apply
- Confirm your topic maps to one of the printed research areas, from financial inclusion and microfinance to poverty reduction broadly
- Build the full proposal to the structure and format the scheme prints, Word, Times New Roman size 12, 1.5 spacing, APA 6 references, with your personal profile attached
- Open the grant site at https://groominggrant.org/ and follow the Apply Now route to the submission page at https://groominggrant.org/apply/
- Submit before the countdown on the site closes on 23rd October 2026, the end of the window that opened on 31st August 2026
- If the site is slow or the form is unreachable close to the date, contact the centre through its printed lines, the phone number on the site and info@groominggrant.org, early rather than on the final day
Selection process
- Student proposals in the printed fields are reviewed by the centre's research scheme team
- The 2026 edition selects 100 undergraduate and 50 postgraduate projects for support
- Earlier editions of the scheme, now in their seventh run, list past beneficiaries on the grant site
Sources and verification
Questions applicants ask
How much does each award pay?
The provider site prints the number of awards, 100 undergraduate and 50 postgraduate, but no naira figure per award, so amounts shared on social cards should be treated as unconfirmed until the centre publishes them.
Are one or two year undergraduates covered?
No. The qualification line names postgraduate and final-year undergraduate students in Nigerian tertiary institutions.
Is there an age or gender limit?
No. The scheme states there are no barriers to age, gender, religion or ethnicity.
When does the window close?
The grant site's countdown prints the window as 31st August to 23rd October 2026, closing in Nigeria on 23 October.
What happens if I win?
Beyond the grant support, the centre requires a final soft copy of the completed research project, and it showcases beneficiaries from previous editions on its site.
Important disclaimer
Nextali researches and curates useful opportunities to make discovery easier. Before applying, verify every timeline, requirement, fee and application link on the official provider website. Do your own research into the organisation, its background and the authenticity of the offer. Nextali does not guarantee selection, funding or the conduct of third party providers.
