Call for Applications: 2026 Grant Writing and Funding Program for researchers and social innovators

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Closing Date: 6 March 2026

Call for Applications: 2026 Grant Writing and Funding Program for researchers and social innovators

Applications for the Grant Writing and Funding (GWF) Program 2026 at the Leaders of Africa Institute are now open. Quality research and social innovation require resources and partnerships. As a researcher and social innovator, you are responsible for everything from preparation to write-up. Each piece of the research process has a cost, whether in money or time. The GWF Program 2026 is about identifying the true cost of Leaders of Africa Institute research and the real value that its research and social innovation have for key stakeholders and broader society. When Leaders of Africa Institute know how to articulate the value of its work, they can garner significant resources and engage broader audiences for social impact.

About the Program

The Grant Writing and Funding Program is a flagship program of the Leaders of Africa Institute. The program builds on the curriculum of the Institute’s award-winning Research Methods Program by offering personalized mentorship, stakeholder and resource mobilization skills, rigorous and advanced grant writing instruction, and a supportive international research community. The program is open to all fields and to individuals from all countries internationally. It is a perfect fit for researchers, lecturers and professors, graduate students, practitioners, monitoring and evaluation specialists, institutional administrators, and social innovators

The program equips scholars with skills to identify and assess quality grant opportunities, ensuring alignment with their research and social innovation projects. Grant Writing Scholars learn to craft compelling grant proposals by exceeding expectations for each criterion, effectively framing their work, and emphasizing measurable social impact. Scholars also gain expertise in creating and justifying comprehensive budgets and leveraging tools and platforms to enhance their proposals and grant execution capacity. Beyond grant writing, the program provides strategies for stakeholder engagement, international networking, grant management, and building lasting research collaborations and innovation partnerships.

Finding and Assessing Funding Opportunities

The Grant Writing and Funding (GWF) Program provides instruction and support for finding and assessing grant opportunities. Putting together a funding application is time-consuming. Therefore, one of the key tenets of funding success is applying to the right opportunities and not chasing every existing opportunity. In the GWF, Leaders of Africa Institute cover different types of funding opportunities, where to find quality opportunities, how to read a call for proposals, and how to assess the fit for our research projects.

Leaders of Africa Institute will also discuss background research on funding opportunities, including using specialized tools and platforms for sourcing grants and interpreting a funder’s existing portfolio of support. Assessing funding opportunities is the first step in understanding what the funder actually wants and requires.

Eligibility

The program is open to all fields and from all countries internationally. The program is a perfect fit for researchers, lecturers and professors, graduate students, practitioners, monitoring and evaluation specialists, institutional administrators, and social innovators.

Benefits & Qualifications

Official LoAI Certificate
A Partial or Completed Grant for a Specific Opportunity OR a Template for Future Opportunities
Experience with Grant Budgeting
Access to the Leaders of Africa Institute Professional Network

Application Requirements

The Grant Writing and Funding Program requires a brief application. You will provide the following information on the application:

Basic contact information
Curriculum vitae / resume
Statement of Interest (maximum of 500 words)
- What are your research, thematic, and professional interests?
- What shaped your interest in research and/or social innovation?
- What do you hope to learn from the Grant Writing and Funding Program at the Leaders of Africa Institute?
- What is your experience applying for research funding and grants? What successes have you had and what challenges have you faced? If you do not have experience, you can share this.
- How will this program help you meet or achieve your career and educational goals?

There is NO application fee.