2026 African Poetry Digital Humanities Grant – Call for Proposals for African NGOs and Research Institutions

The 2026 African Poetry Digital Humanities Grant is an official call for proposals (CfP) supporting digitally driven research projects that place African poetry at the centre of humanistic inquiry.

Issued by the African Poetry Book Fund (APBF) in partnership with Brown University, and supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, this funding opportunity invites eligible African organisations and researchers to submit well-defined project proposals for a one-year grant period.

The call is particularly relevant to African NGOs, cultural institutions, research centres, and nonprofit organisations engaged in literary studies, cultural heritage preservation, and digital archiving. While rooted in scholarship, the programme is not limited to universities and welcomes qualified nonprofit organisations with demonstrable capacity in digital or literary research.

Applications must be submitted through the official APBF Submittable portal no later than 23 January 2026 (11:59 PM GMT). Given the competitive nature of Mellon-supported humanities funding, applicants are strongly advised to begin preparation early and follow all submission requirements precisely.

Overview of African Poetry Digital Humanities Grant

The 2026 African Poetry Digital Humanities Grant call for proposals forms part of the African Poetry Digital Portal (APDP) Research Initiative, a flagship programme of the African Poetry Book Fund.

The APDP serves as a central digital gateway for African poetry scholarship. It hosts structured and curated records including poetry manuscripts, literary journals, audio-visual performance recordings, and biographical data on African poets from across the continent.

Through this call, the funder seeks to strengthen the use of digital humanities methodologies to advance research, documentation, and public access to African poetry. The emphasis is on projects that address the linguistic diversity, regional variation, performative traditions, and archival challenges associated with African poetic expression.

Importantly, this is a research-focused grant, not a creative writing or publishing fund. Projects are expected to contribute analytically and methodologically to the digital study of African poetry rather than produce standalone creative outputs.

Key Grant Details

• Grant Name: 2026 African Poetry Digital Humanities Grant
• Type: Call for Proposals (CfP / RFP)
• Funder: African Poetry Book Fund (APBF) / Brown University
• Supported by: The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
• Grant Amount: Up to USD 10,000
• Grant Period: April 2026 – April 2027
• Eligible Regions: All African countries
• Application Deadline: 23 January 2026 (11:59 PM GMT)
• Notification of Selection: 2 March 2026

The grant is awarded as a single, fixed-budget award and must be fully utilised within the 12-month grant period.

Who Is Eligible to Apply?

The call is inclusive in scope but specific in its expectations. Applicants must demonstrate both subject-matter competence in African poetry and the ability to apply digital research methods effectively.

Eligible Applicant Types

• Registered NGOs and nonprofit organisations working in:
  • Literary research and documentation
  • Cultural heritage preservation
  • Arts and humanities archiving
  • Digital libraries or knowledge platforms
• Universities, research institutes, and cultural centres based in Africa
• Individual scholars, researchers, and creative practitioners
• Collaborative teams, including NGO–academic partnerships

Registration and Geographic Requirements

• Organisations must be legally registered in an African country.
• Applicants must be based in Africa at the time of application.
• NGOs and institutions must be capable of receiving and managing international grant funds.

Projects may focus on a single country, language group, region, or thematic area, provided African poetry remains the central object of inquiry.

What the Grant Supports

The African Poetry Digital Humanities Grant funding opportunity supports projects that apply digital tools and methods to the study, organisation, and dissemination of African poetry.

Supported Focus Areas

Projects funded under this call typically involve:

• Digital archiving or structuring of poetry collections
• Computational or corpus-based analysis of poetic texts
• Digital mapping of poets, movements, or literary networks
• Encoding, metadata development, and interoperability work
• Web-based platforms or interfaces that improve access to poetry research

Examples of Eligible Activities

Eligible activities may include:

• Digitising and organising poetry manuscripts, journals, or recordings
• Developing searchable digital repositories or databases
• Applying text mining or computational analysis to poetry corpora
• Linking new research outputs to existing APDP datasets
• Creating public-facing digital exhibits or research portals

Activities Not Supported

The grant does not support:

• Purchase of personal laptops or hardware
• General organisational operating costs
• Creative writing projects without a digital research component
• Long-term infrastructure without a clear sustainability plan

All funded activities must be feasible within a USD 10,000 budget and completed within the 12-month implementation period.

How to Apply

Applications for this call for proposals must be submitted exclusively through the official submission platform. Submissions by email or other means will not be accepted.

• The Portal (Research Resource): https://africanpoetics.unl.edu/
• The Program Page (Detailed Guidelines): https://africanpoetrybf.brown.edu/african-poetry-digital-humanities-grant-2026/
• Submission Link:

Required Application Documents

Applicants must submit three documents, adhering strictly to the stated page limits:

1. Project Proposal (maximum 3 pages)
   The proposal must clearly outline:
   • A concise abstract (maximum 300 words)
   • The core research question
   • Digital methodology and tools to be used
   • Technological and software requirements
   • A 12-month timeline with defined milestones
2. Detailed Budget (maximum 1 page)
   • Total budget not exceeding USD 10,000
   • Clear, line-by-line justification for each cost
   • Compliance with funding restrictions
3. Curriculum Vitae (CV)
   • Relevant academic, literary, or digital experience
   • Examples of previous research or digital projects

Official Application Portal

All applications must be submitted via the APBF Submittable Manager, accessible through the African Poetry Book Fund’s official programme page – African Poetry Digital Portal: Digital Humanities Grant (Submittable). Applicants are strongly advised to rely only on official funder communications for submission guidance.

Important Notes

• FundingOpportunitis.com is an independent funding information platform and is not affiliated with the African Poetry Book Fund, Brown University, or the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
• This article summarises a verified call for proposals but does not replace the official guidelines.
• Applicants are responsible for confirming all requirements directly with the funder.
• Page limits and formatting rules are strictly enforced.
• Funding decisions are made solely by the funder’s review committee.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is this grant open to NGOs?

Yes. Registered African NGOs and nonprofit organisations with relevant expertise may apply, provided the project meets the digital humanities and literary research criteria.

Is this a creative writing or publishing grant?

No. This is a research-focused digital humanities call for proposals, not a creative writing, publishing, or production grant.

Can projects focus on one country or language?

Yes. Projects may focus on specific countries, regions, languages, or poetic traditions within Africa.

Are collaborative projects allowed?

Yes. Collaborative proposals, including partnerships between NGOs and academic institutions, are eligible.

When will successful applicants be notified?

The funder expects to notify selected applicants by 2 March 2026.

FundingOpportunitis.com works with experienced grant researchers and nonprofit funding advisors who support African NGOs on a non-donor-affiliated basis. These services are optional and do not influence funding decisions.

Funding Opportunities January 2026

You may also wish to explore:

• GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP) Tanzania OP8 – Funding Opportunity for African NGOs
• Zambia O&M Water Grant: $500,000 Funding Opportunity for African NGOs
• IOM Youth-Led Climate Mobility Grant – $15,000 Funding Opportunity for African NGOs
• IKI Small Grants 2026: €200,000 Funding Opportunity for African NGOs
• Eye Health Innovation Accelerator Funds for African NGOs

Conclusion

The 2026 African Poetry Digital Humanities Grant funding opportunity represents a focused and highly competitive call for proposals supporting African-led digital research on poetry. For NGOs and institutions operating at the intersection of culture, technology, and scholarship, it offers a rare opportunity to contribute to a globally significant digital humanities initiative.

Prospective applicants should review the official call in full, ensure all documentation complies with the stated requirements, and submit well before the 23 January 2026 deadline.

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