Grants and opportunities for your next phase

The Kectil Program

Kectil Youth Leadership Program 2027

A one year online leadership programme for young leaders aged 17 to 26 in developing countries, with no application fee and applications closing 15 November 2026.

Eligibility: Young leaders aged 17 to 26 from developing countries

Deadline

November 15, 2026

Location

Africa

Funding or benefit

A one year online leadership programme with no application fee, online modules on leadership, peace and conflict resolution, financial skills, youth mental health, entrepreneurship, innovation and sustainability, a permanent global network of young leaders from developing countries, the organiser reporting that more than 14,000 young people from over 100 countries have been accepted over its past ten years, community engagement and project work, candid discussion on global issues on a non-political and non-religious platform, international peer connections, and a merit-based certificate of completion awarded on performance

The SAB Foundation

SAB Foundation Tholoana Enterprise Programme 2026, TEP19

Eighteen months of tailored business support and mentoring for established South African businesses, with applications closing 13 October 2026 at midday.

Eligibility: South African citizens who work full time in their own businesses

Deadline

October 13, 2026

Location

South Africa

Funding or benefit

No cash award published for this cohort. The programme provides eighteen months of tailored business support and mentoring.

First City Monument Bank Limited

FCMB Early Career Technology Graduate Programme 2026 For Nigerian Graduates

FCMB Group Plc has opened its Early Career Technology Graduate Programme 2026 under the theme Build What Next, a full-time entry route for recent Nigerian graduates who want to build a career in technology inside banking. It is aimed at candidates with zero to two years of experience holding a Bachelor degree with at least a second-class upper in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, Information Technology, Data Science, Electrical Engineering, Statistics or a related field. Applications close 23 October 2026.

Eligibility: A Bachelor degree or its equivalent from an accredited tertiary institution

Deadline

October 23, 2026

Location

Nigeria

Funding or benefit

This is a full-time salaried graduate role. FCMB does not publish the remuneration on the posting. There is no fee to apply.

Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University with the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society

Nieman-Berkman Klein Fellowship in Journalism Innovation at Harvard, a Nine-Month Paid Fellowship Open to International Journalists

The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard, together with the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, is taking applications for the Nieman-Berkman Klein Fellowship in Journalism Innovation, a nine-month paid fellowship at Harvard beginning around mid-August 2027 for a working journalist who wants a year to develop a specific project on journalism’s digital transformation. It is the only named fellowship the foundation currently designates, and its own page states that it is open to both U.S. and international applicants, so a Nigerian or any other non-U.S. citizen journalist applies in the international category, including one already working in the United States. Every applicant needs at least five years of full-time media experience, and the international round closes on 1 December 2026. A fellow receives a stipend of USD 87,500 paid over nine months to cover living costs, with separate health insurance and child-care supplements.

Eligibility: A working journalist with at least five years of full-time media experience, freelancers included

Deadline

December 1, 2026

Location

Africa

Funding or benefit

A stipend of USD 87,500 paid over a nine-month period to cover living costs. Fellows also receive a health insurance supplement of up to USD 6,250 each for the fellow and a spouse and up to USD 3,750 for each child younger than 18, plus a child-care allowance for children aged 12 or younger of USD 10,500 for one child, USD 12,500 for two, USD 14,750 for three and USD 16,750 for four or more, with an additional USD 10,500 for a child aged 3 or younger. All figures are per fellowship year and subject to change. Fellows are not eligible for health insurance through Harvard University, and Nieman covers the cost of attending Harvard classes for fellows and their spouses or partners.

KITLV, Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies (KNAW)

KITLV Visiting Fellowships 2027 in the Netherlands: Three-Month Research Residencies for Scholars of Southeast Asia and the Caribbean

KITLV, the Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies in Leiden, is accepting proposals for three-month visiting fellowships in 2027 from scholars working on Southeast Asia or the Caribbean. Two periods are on offer, 1 March to 1 June 2027 and 1 June to 1 September 2027. The institute pays a return economy fare to and from the Netherlands and reimburses accommodation in Leiden up to EUR 2,000 per month, with a case-by-case top-up for the higher cost of living there. It sets no nationality condition, so a researcher based anywhere in Africa may apply, provided they are not a tax resident of the Netherlands and hold a steady income of their own, since the fellowship itself is unpaid. Proposals close at midnight CET on 14 October 2026.

Eligibility: A PhD in the social sciences or the humanities, obtained by the moment the fellowship starts

Deadline

October 14, 2026

Location

Africa

Funding or benefit

No salary or stipend is paid, and the institute expects fellows to hold a steady income during the period. KITLV covers a return economy air or train fare to and from the Netherlands, reimburses accommodation costs in Leiden, including rent, energy and where applicable service costs, up to a maximum of EUR 2,000 per month against proof of payment, and adds a monthly compensation for higher living costs in Leiden calculated case by case. There is no fee to apply.

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African Institute for Capacity Development (AICAD)

Joint AICAD Alliance Master's Fellowship

A two year, tuition-sponsored Master's fellowship in agricultural and development economics, run by AICAD with the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, with research supervision on how agricultural innovations and development programmes affect real livelihoods.

Eligibility: A Bachelor's degree in economics, agricultural economics, development studies, geography, statistics or a related discipline

Deadline

October 30, 2026

Location

Kenya, Uganda

Funding or benefit

No cash award is published on the call page. The fellowship sponsors tuition for the two year Master's programme.

Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN)

SMEDAN Conditional Grant Scheme, ₦50,000 For Nigerian Nano Businesses

The Conditional Grant Scheme is a Federal Government initiative delivered by SMEDAN that gives Nigerian nano businesses operating at the Local Government Area level a fixed ₦50,000, a non repayable grant meant to support your workforce and help you buy the equipment your business needs. In return, beneficiaries are expected to employ at least one additional person. Registration of interest runs through the SMEDAN business portal, and the official programme page states no closing date.

Eligibility: A nano business operating at the Local Government Area level in Nigeria

Deadline

Timeline not announced

Location

Nigeria

Funding or benefit

A fixed grant of ₦50,000 per eligible nano business. The grant is conditional and non repayable, with a requirement to employ at least one additional person. There is no fee to register on the SMEDAN portal.

WomanKind Alliance

WomanKind Creative Grant 2027 For Women’s Health Startups, US$15,000 In Design Support

The WomanKind Creative Grant gives one women’s health startup professional branding and design services worth US$15,000, delivered free as a six week design partnership beginning in mid January 2027. WomanKind Alliance is a nonprofit supporting companies building solutions in women’s health, and this edition is sponsored by creative agency Alfa Charlie. Applications from companies worldwide, including founders based in Africa, are open now and close on 1 November 2026.

Eligibility: A startup developing a product or service that improves women’s health, including femtech, reproductive health, menstrual health, diagnostics and healthcare access

Deadline

November 1, 2026

Location

Africa

Funding or benefit

US$15,000 in brand strategy and design services, delivered as a six week professional services partnership rather than a cash payment. No application fee is stated on the official page.

Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation

Harry Frank Guggenheim African Fellow Awards 2027

A two year fellowship for African doctoral scholars researching violence, carrying fieldwork research grants of $10,000 each plus a methods workshop, mentoring, conference sponsorship and publication support. Applications for the 2027 cohort close on 1 March 2027.

Eligibility: Applicants may be citizens of any country

Deadline

March 1, 2027

Location

Nigeria

Funding or benefit

Fieldwork research grants of $10,000 each, held inside a two year fellowship that also carries a methods workshop, mentoring, conference sponsorship and writing support.

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Special Research Fund (BOF), Ghent University

Ghent University BOF Doctoral Scholarships for the Global South 2027

One of 15 sandwich PhD places funded by Ghent University's Special Research Fund for candidates from listed Global South countries, splitting 48 months of doctoral research between Ghent and a partner university in the South. Applications for 2027 close on 9 February 2027 and Nigeria is on the published country list.

Eligibility: Candidates who come from and hold the nationality of one of the listed Global South countries, with Nigeria on the published list

Deadline

February 9, 2027

Location

Nigeria

Funding or benefit

A scholarship of approximately € 2.850 per month for the part of the PhD done at Ghent, with a bench fee of € 310 per month for the Ghent supervisor and a travel budget of € 8000. The partner institution funds the 24 months spent in the South.

Honjo International Scholarship Foundation

Honjo International Scholarship Foundation Graduate Scholarship 2027

A graduate scholarship from the Honjo International Scholarship Foundation for foreign students reading a master's or doctoral degree in Japan, paid monthly throughout the degree and awarded to roughly ten students each year. The 2027 application period closes on 31 October 2026.

Eligibility: Foreign students who study, or plan to study, in a Japanese graduate school for a master's or doctoral degree

Deadline

October 31, 2026

Location

Africa

Funding or benefit

A monthly stipend paid for the minimum period required to acquire the degree, printed on the foundation page as "¥230,000 per month for 1 ~ 2 years degree", "¥210,000 per month for 3 years degree" and "¥180,000 per month for beyond 3 years of degree".

ClimateCAP

ClimateCAP MBA Fellowship 2027

A twelve month ClimateCAP fellowship running January to December 2027 that pairs each MBA fellow with an industry advisor who guides their own climate project through the year. Applications for the 2027 cohort close on 26 October 2026.

Eligibility: MBA students enrolled in a full time MBA programme for the whole of the fellowship year

Deadline

October 26, 2026

Location

Africa

Funding or benefit

No cash award is stated. The application page says there is no application fee or program cost, so the value is the advising relationship, the cohort, the alumni network and summit access.