About this opportunity
The Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation recognises emerging African scholars through its African Fellows programme, and the cohort is selected every two years. Each fellowship runs for two years and carries fieldwork research grants of $10,000 each, which is the money on the page.
Around it sits the support that actually moves a dissertation towards publication: an in-person methods workshop held on the African continent, mentoring from senior African and Africanist scholars, sponsorship at an international conference to present the findings, and editorial and publication assistance through a writing workshop geared to preparing scholars to write for and submit to international peer-reviewed journals. The guidelines state that approximately a dozen emerging scholars are recognised in each cohort, for projects judged of high quality and closely relevant to the foundation's long standing interest in violence.
That interest is specific. Proposals are welcomed from any of the natural and social sciences or allied disciplines that promise to increase understanding of the causes, manifestations and control of violence and aggression, with priority given to work addressing urgent present-day problems.
The listed interests include war, crime, terrorism, intimate-partner violence, climate instability and resource competition, and racial, ethnic and religious conflict. The fellowship is open on citizenship but closed on circumstance.
Applicants "may be citizens of any country", yet they must be aged 45 or younger, currently enrolled in an accredited PhD programme at an African higher-education institution and living on the continent, so a Nigerian doctoral student qualifies on the funder's own terms. Candidates apply between January 1 and March 1, and the guidelines set the submission closing date in their own words as "The
Application timeline
for submission is March 1 (11:59 p. m.
EST)", with final decisions taken by the Board of Directors at its June meeting.
What you receive
- Fieldwork research grants of $10,000 each
- A two year fellowship
- An in-person methods workshop held on the African continent
- Mentoring from senior African and Africanist scholars
- Sponsorship at an international conference to present the research findings
- Editorial and publication assistance through a writing workshop geared to peer-reviewed journals
- Recognition in a cohort of approximately a dozen emerging scholars
Who can apply
- Applicants may be citizens of any country
- Aged 45 or younger
- Currently enrolled in an accredited PhD programme at an African higher-education institution
- Living on the African continent
- Proposals welcomed from the natural and social sciences or allied disciplines that increase understanding of the causes, manifestations and control of violence and aggression
- Priority given to work addressing urgent present-day problems of violence
Documents to prepare
- The application guidelines
- The advice for applicants document published with the call
How to apply
- Create an account on the foundation's grant portal
- Read the application guidelines and the advice for applicants document on the African Fellows page
- Prepare a proposal tied to the foundation's interest in the causes, manifestations and control of violence
- Submit through the portal between 1 January and 1 March 2027
Selection process
- Candidates apply between January 1 and March 1
- The guidelines state that submission closes on March 1 at 11:59 p.m. EST
- The Board of Directors takes final decisions at its June meeting
- Approximately a dozen scholars are recognised in each cohort, selected every two years
Sources and verification
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Questions applicants ask
What does the fellowship provide?
Fieldwork research grants of $10,000 each over a two year fellowship, with an in-person methods workshop on the African continent, mentoring from senior African and Africanist scholars, conference sponsorship to present findings, and a writing workshop offering editorial and publication assistance.
Who can apply?
Emerging African doctoral scholars. Applicants may be citizens of any country but must be aged 45 or younger, enrolled in an accredited PhD programme at an African higher-education institution and living on the continent.
When does it close?
Applications open on 1 January and the guidelines print "The deadline for submission is March 1 (11:59 p.m. EST)", with decisions taken by the Board of Directors at its June meeting.
Important disclaimer
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