Currently 9 active paid grants, fellowships and residencies open to applicants in Asia, across AI, arts, film, research, tech and cross-disciplinary practice. Hand-curated and updated weekly. Every entry is funded, no exposure-only calls. Browse the list below, or use the interactive desk for filtering and shortlisting.
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Inaugural 2026 SEAP Fellowship Programme from Nationality for All (NFA) for early-career human rights professionals based in the Asia Pacific region. Two full-time, three-month remote fellows will support the updating and verification of the Second Edition of the Statelessness Encyclopedia Asia Pacific (SEAP) - a regional knowledge resource on statelessness, nationality rights, legal identity and exclusion in the Asia-Pacific region. The three sub-regions (Southeast Asia, East Asia, Central Asia) are divided between the two fellows. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES: factchecking and additional desk research on existing SEAP country factsheets; updating SEAP website and report content; integrating and verifying citations across SEAP outputs. TIMELINE: Month 1 onboarding and factchecking; Month 2 website and report updates; Month 3 citation integration. ELIGIBILITY: early-career human rights professionals based in the Asia Pacific region with strong desk research, writing and organisational skills; background in human rights, law, public policy, international relations or related disciplines; knowledge of citizenship rights, statelessness and legal identity systems is desirable but not mandatory. Persons with lived experience of statelessness will be prioritised. APPLY: send CV, cover letter and one original writing sample to info@nationalityforall.org with subject line 'Application - SEAP Fellows 2026' by 25 May 2026 (EOD Bangkok time).
Third cycle of Diriyah Art Futures' Emerging New Media Artists Program, a developmental collaboration with Le Fresnoy - Studio National des Arts Contemporains. The first three months centre on thematic and conceptual exploration through seminars, lectures, screenings and workshops spanning digital technology, socio-cultural dynamics, the environment, more-than-human life and cultural heritage. The programme then moves into a practice-based phase with personalised advisory and access to DAF's labs, encompassing advanced audio-visual techniques, immersive reality and spatial audio-visual environments, concluding with a curated group exhibition at DAF in October 2027. ELIGIBILITY: emerging creative practitioners under 35, at graduate or postgraduate level, with experience in modern media and digital art; open worldwide with a particular focus on practitioners from the Middle East and North Africa. Apply via the linked Ministry of Culture engagement portal.
One-year research fellowship at the Centre for Budget and Policy Studies (CBPS), a non-partisan public policy research institution in Bengaluru, mentoring early-career researchers across CBPS's focus areas: education, gender, governance, health and nutrition, public finance, livelihoods and social security. Fellows work alongside CBPS research staff in a collegial academic environment with in-house talks, seminars, workshops and public events, joining ongoing research projects with mentor guidance. ELIGIBILITY: primarily geared toward scholars who have recently completed their Bachelor's or are in the final year of an undergraduate programme; applications especially encouraged from historically underrepresented groups (class, caste, gender, religion, linguistic affiliation, first-generation scholars); scholars from various disciplines and methodological approaches welcome. Apply by emailing a Statement of Purpose (max 1,500 words), CV/resume in MS Word format, and two letters of reference to fellows@cbps.in. Fellowship awards announced 3 July 2026.
Part-time research fellowship at the Berggruen Institute's Research Center at Peking University, working within one of three core themes (Frontier Science, Technology and Philosophy; Creative Futures; Ancient Wisdom and Planetary Governance), with strong overlap for AI policy, philosophy of technology and computational practice. ELIGIBILITY: open to applicants from any research background; selection is based on the proposal's fit with the Center's themes.
Eight-week fully funded residency at the Toji Cultural Centre in Wonju, South Korea, hosted by Wonju UNESCO City of Literature. ELIGIBILITY: one writer per cycle, nominated from a UNESCO City of Literature network (Amsterdam, Utrecht, Manchester, Edinburgh, Krakow, Reykjavik, Lillehammer, Iowa City, etc. - see the full UNESCO Creative Cities Network list); 5+ years writing experience required. Open to fiction, nonfiction and poetry. PROCESS: selection by 21 July 2026; residency runs 1 September - 31 October 2026. Apply through your local UNESCO City of Literature coordinator before 31 May 2026. Confirm the exact application route on the Wonju City of Literature site before applying.
Taiwan Alliance in International Development (Taiwan AID) annual fellowship for NGO professionals from South Asia, Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. Approximately 12 fellows selected (tentative) for a four-week immersive programme combining (a) a three-week placement at a Taiwanese NGO (event preparation, project management, fundraising activities), (b) workshops on project management, fundraising and advocacy plus civil society site visits in Taiwan, (c) a roundtable with Taiwanese NGO professionals, and (d) attendance at Taiwan LGBT+ Pride. Fellows propose a project draft for future collaboration with their host NGO at the end of the programme and join an alumni network across Asia. ELIGIBILITY: NGO professionals (community development, environment, education, women's rights, civic engagement and human rights, emergency relief, disability inclusion, children and families welfare, social innovation and entrepreneurship; outstanding applicants from other fields also considered); at least three years of NGO sector experience; aged 25-40; from Southeast Asia (Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam), South Asia (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Pakistan), Northeast Asia (Japan, South Korea, Mongolia) or Pacific Islands (Palau, Marshall Islands, Tuvalu); proficient in written and oral English (Mandarin a plus).
The FemFirst Research Observatory supports mid- to senior-career women and non-binary-identifying researchers and scholars in contributing original research on feminist AI futures in South and Southeast Asia. The Observatory will support 8 to 12 researchers, each developing two high-quality original research papers (6,000 words each) over a 12-month period, alongside two blog syntheses and additional dissemination materials such as podcast episodes. AIMS: build a robust body of empirical, conceptual, policy and applied research at the intersection of AI and gender equality in South and Southeast Asia; open new technical, social and political pathways for feminist AI; and seed an interdisciplinary AI knowledge ecosystem and network of researchers and institutions in the region. ELIGIBILITY: established mid- to senior-career researchers and scholars; may be independent researchers, individual researchers, scholars or academics, or research teams at registered research institutions or entities (universities, research centres, non-profit organisations, for-profit firms). Applicants must demonstrate regional expertise and specialisation in South and Southeast Asia with a track record of work on digitalisation and gender. Applicants must identify as a woman or non-binary person; team applications must be led by a woman or non-binary person. Researchers located outside South or Southeast Asia are considered, but research must focus on the region. Proposed research must be original and not published elsewhere; any additional funding sources for the same proposal must be disclosed.
Tokyo Arts and Space (TOKAS) International Creator Residency invites practitioners to develop new works and ideas in Tokyo, with research outcomes presented at a closing Open Studio at TOKAS Residency. The programme fosters cross-cultural creative exchange across visual arts (drawing, installation, painting, performance, photography, media art, sculpture, sound art, video, etc.), design and architecture. ELIGIBILITY: creators residing outside Japan with at least five years of experience in visual arts, design or architecture; sufficient English to communicate with residents and TOKAS staff; independent and capable of working and living on one's own; duos eligible if at least one member resides outside Japan and they have completed at least one prior project together; students ineligible except PhD candidates. CONDITIONS: must stay consecutively at TOKAS Residency for the proposed period; create work for the Open Studio and submit a comprehensive project report; cooperate with TOKAS public relations; no commercial or for-profit activities; accommodation is for the participating creator only (no family/partners/friends/guests). Apply via the TOKAS online submission form by 16 June 2026, 18:00 JST: application form (PDF, in English), two letters of recommendation from referees at art and cultural institutions, and a portfolio (max 6 A4 landscape pages, max 10MB, up to 3 projects).
Four-week residency in Kyoto for artists, curators and writers from anywhere in the world, working in drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, film, video, new media, installation, fiction and nonfiction writing, poetry, interdisciplinary or social practice. Open to all career stages, 21 and over. Selected participants notified by 1 September 2026.