Currently 12 active paid grants, fellowships and residencies open to applicants in Africa, across AI, arts, film, research, tech and cross-disciplinary practice. Hand-curated and updated weekly. Almost every entry is funded; a few notable unpaid open calls and festival submissions are included as clearly flagged exceptions. Browse the list below, or use the interactive desk for filtering and shortlisting.
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The inaugural Heart2World Book Prize, from Heart2World Publishing, is a poetry prize for a full-length collection by a Nigerian writer. AWARD: NGN 250,000 cash prize, a full publishing and marketing package (valued at approximately NGN 5 million), and 100 percent net royalties on the published collection. ELIGIBILITY: Nigerian citizens currently residing in Nigeria; submit an unpublished poetry collection of 30 to 35 poems written in English. There is no entry or reading fee (verified on the funder page). DEADLINE: 5 August 2026. Apply via the prize page.
The Atlas Workshops are the Marrakech International Film Festival's industry and talent-development programme, running since 2018 and now in its 9th edition. This track is for feature films already in shooting or post-production. Selected teams get personalised mentoring tailored to each project across scriptwriting, production, distribution, editing and scoring, plus access to the festival's industry network, and compete for cash prizes decided by a dedicated jury. ELIGIBILITY: directors and producers who are from, or in the diaspora of, the Arab world or the African continent, working on their first, second or third feature (fiction, documentary or animation), with a production company attached. Open across that whole region, not restricted to Morocco. There is a separate Projects in Development track whose deadline (6 July 2026) has already passed for this edition. Deadline 31 August 2026.
Atlas Station is the Marrakech International Film Festival's professional development strand running alongside the Atlas Workshops, aimed at building the Moroccan film industry. The producers track offers structured mentoring, industry sessions and access to the festival's international network during the 9th edition. ELIGIBILITY IS RESTRICTED: open to Moroccan producers only, not to international applicants. Deadline 31 August 2026. See also the Atlas Station short film track (deadline 14 September 2026) and the internationally open Atlas Workshops track for films in shooting or post-production.
The Cambridge-Africa ALBORADA Research Fund competitively awards grants to pairs of researchers, one from an African university or research institution and one from the University of Cambridge or an allied research institute, across all disciplines, to initiate and/or strengthen research collaborations. ELIGIBILITY: both applicants must be at post-doctoral level or above, with employment contracts extending beyond the award end date, and apply with the support of their Head of Department or equivalent; the Cambridge applicant must work at the University of Cambridge or an affiliated institute (Wellcome Sanger Institute, NIAB, British Antarctic Survey); the African applicant must be based at an African university or equivalent. Limited student support is considered where it enhances the Cambridge-Africa relationship. FUNDING: GBP 1,000 to 25,000, covering research costs including reagents, fieldwork, equipment and research-training activities in Africa. APPLY: the Cambridge-based applicant registers using an institutional email (cam.ac.uk, sanger.ac.uk, babraham.ac.uk, bas.ac.uk or niab.com) and invites the Africa-based applicant via the online form. Deadline: 3 September 2026. Queries: alboradafund@cambridge-africa.cam.ac.uk.
The short film strand of Atlas Station, the Marrakech International Film Festival's professional development programme for the Moroccan film industry, running alongside the 9th Atlas Workshops. Selected directors receive mentoring and industry access during the online and onsite sessions. ELIGIBILITY IS RESTRICTED: open to Moroccan directors with a short film in shooting or post-production that has not yet premiered. Not open to international applicants. Deadline 14 September 2026.
Sub-Saharan Component (Connect & Create) of the Africa-Europe Partnerships for Culture programme, an EUR 8 million 42-month initiative (2025-2028) implemented by the Goethe-Institut in partnership with Expertise France and Institut francais. PRIMARY FOCUS: transcontinental Africa-Africa short-term mobility for artists and culture professionals. European artists and organisations may also apply, provided they have an existing partnership with an African artist, institution or organisation. ACTIVITIES: artistic and professional development (research, co-creation/co-development, non-formal learning, building international professional relationships); cultural exchange and networking (residencies, exhibitions, conferences, workshops, training, collaborative international projects). Mobility may be physical, digital/virtual or hybrid. ELIGIBLE COUNTRIES: all Sub-Saharan Africa countries and all EU Member States. DISCIPLINES: visual arts, performing arts, music, literature, film, media arts, cultural heritage, design, architecture, fashion design. SCHEME TOTALS: up to 195 grants across the programme period; rolling intake with quarterly cut-offs. DEADLINE: this card is for the 15 September 2026 cut-off (other cut-offs each have their own card). APPLY via the Goethe-Institut Africa-Europe Partnerships page.
Annual writing scholarship from the Miles Morland Foundation for African-born writers working in English on a full-length book project (80,000+ words for fiction; equivalent for nonfiction). One of the largest single-author African writing grants. Application window opens 1 July 2026 and closes 22 September 2026; applications outside that window are not read. ELIGIBILITY: writers born in Africa, or with both parents born in Africa, writing in English; nationality is not the criterion. Existing publication record is helpful but not strictly required.
Annual prize from Gallery 1957 in Accra for women artists connected to Ghana and to Senegal, which joins the prize for the first time in 2026. Two winners are selected, one from each country, and each receives USD 5,000 in cash, a three-month residency exchange in the partner country with flights, artwork transport, accommodation and materials covered, and a resulting exhibition with the gallery. ELIGIBILITY IS GEOGRAPHICALLY RESTRICTED: applicants must be female citizens of Ghana or Senegal, aged 18 or over, living in Ghana, Senegal or the diaspora, and must present a valid national ID or passport. Not open to international applicants without that citizenship. Apply by email to applications@gallery1957.com with an artist bio or statement of no more than 200 words and a portfolio of up to six high-resolution images or videos with captions, both as PDFs. Questions go to awo@gallery1957.com. Deadline 30 September 2026.
Sub-Saharan Component (Connect & Create) of the Africa-Europe Partnerships for Culture programme, an EUR 8 million 42-month initiative (2025-2028) implemented by the Goethe-Institut in partnership with Expertise France and Institut francais. PRIMARY FOCUS: transcontinental Africa-Africa short-term mobility for artists and culture professionals. European artists and organisations may also apply, provided they have an existing partnership with an African artist, institution or organisation. ACTIVITIES: artistic and professional development (research, co-creation/co-development, non-formal learning, building international professional relationships); cultural exchange and networking (residencies, exhibitions, conferences, workshops, training, collaborative international projects). Mobility may be physical, digital/virtual or hybrid. ELIGIBLE COUNTRIES: all Sub-Saharan Africa countries and all EU Member States. DISCIPLINES: visual arts, performing arts, music, literature, film, media arts, cultural heritage, design, architecture, fashion design. SCHEME TOTALS: up to 195 grants across the programme period; rolling intake with quarterly cut-offs. DEADLINE: this card is for the 15 December 2026 cut-off (other cut-offs each have their own card). APPLY via the Goethe-Institut Africa-Europe Partnerships page.
Sub-Saharan Component (Connect & Create) of the Africa-Europe Partnerships for Culture programme, an EUR 8 million 42-month initiative (2025-2028) implemented by the Goethe-Institut in partnership with Expertise France and Institut francais. PRIMARY FOCUS: transcontinental Africa-Africa short-term mobility for artists and culture professionals. European artists and organisations may also apply, provided they have an existing partnership with an African artist, institution or organisation. ACTIVITIES: artistic and professional development (research, co-creation/co-development, non-formal learning, building international professional relationships); cultural exchange and networking (residencies, exhibitions, conferences, workshops, training, collaborative international projects). Mobility may be physical, digital/virtual or hybrid. ELIGIBLE COUNTRIES: all Sub-Saharan Africa countries and all EU Member States. DISCIPLINES: visual arts, performing arts, music, literature, film, media arts, cultural heritage, design, architecture, fashion design. SCHEME TOTALS: up to 195 grants across the programme period; rolling intake with quarterly cut-offs. DEADLINE: this card is for the 15 March 2027 cut-off (other cut-offs each have their own card). APPLY via the Goethe-Institut Africa-Europe Partnerships page.
Sub-Saharan Component (Connect & Create) of the Africa-Europe Partnerships for Culture programme, an EUR 8 million 42-month initiative (2025-2028) implemented by the Goethe-Institut in partnership with Expertise France and Institut francais. PRIMARY FOCUS: transcontinental Africa-Africa short-term mobility for artists and culture professionals. European artists and organisations may also apply, provided they have an existing partnership with an African artist, institution or organisation. ACTIVITIES: artistic and professional development (research, co-creation/co-development, non-formal learning, building international professional relationships); cultural exchange and networking (residencies, exhibitions, conferences, workshops, training, collaborative international projects). Mobility may be physical, digital/virtual or hybrid. ELIGIBLE COUNTRIES: all Sub-Saharan Africa countries and all EU Member States. DISCIPLINES: visual arts, performing arts, music, literature, film, media arts, cultural heritage, design, architecture, fashion design. SCHEME TOTALS: up to 195 grants across the programme period; rolling intake with quarterly cut-offs. DEADLINE: this card is for the 15 June 2027 cut-off (final cut-off for this programme). APPLY via the Goethe-Institut Africa-Europe Partnerships page.
The Ripples Centre for Data and Investigative Journalism (RCDIJ) Africa Fund is a rolling grant program supporting data-driven and investigative journalism projects by journalists across Africa. SUPPORT: grants ranging from under USD 1,000 up to USD 10,000, alongside editorial support and publication. ELIGIBILITY: journalists based in Africa, whether staff or freelance, working in print, online, broadcast, photo, or multimedia. APPLICATIONS are accepted on a rolling basis and reviewed on roughly a two-month cycle. Apply via the RCDIJ Africa Fund page.