African Poetry Digital Humanities Grant 2026 (up to $10,000)

Deadline: January 23, 2026

Applications are open for the African Poetry Digital Humanities Grant 2026. The African Poetry Digital Portal Project funded by a grant from the Andrew Mellon Foundation invites proposals from scholars and researchers for the African Poetry Digital Humanities Grant. These grants support Digital Humanities research in African Poetry.

Applicants are encouraged to make use of the resources of the Portal, and in so doing expand the impact of the Portal in the broader community of African Digital Humanities scholarship. Given the multifaceted nature of African Poetry in terms of regional variance, performative elements, archival and textual complexity and range, and the work of African Poetry within the fabric of contemporary and historical societies, proposals should take advantage of the range of possibilities afforded to a scholar in the field of Digital Humanities.

Grant

• The grant amount is $10,000.

Eligibility

• Open to scholars and researchers.
• To be considered, projects must use digital research methods or encompass scholarship that applies computing technologies in humanistic inquiry. Most importantly, African Poetry must be at the center of the research.

Application

Application requires the following:

• Project proposal: a description of the proposed research plan consisting of the following (should not exceed 3 pages):
  • Abstract (300 words maximum)
  • Project Narrative: The narrative should describe the guiding premises of the project clearly, provide a clear overview of the project’s structure (components, personnel, tasks), and describe in concrete terms what the project hopes to accomplish by the end of the 12-month period. Include:
    • The nature of the project
    • The area of African Poetry being explored
    • The research question and approach
    • Technological requirements: specific equipment, software, server time, or hosting (NOTE: Personal computer purchases are not permitted)
    • A detailed timeline including key dates and milestones
• A detailed budget (1 page maximum) including clear explanations for each item and a justification of their importance to the project.
• C.V. from the primary researcher. Include relevant examples of previous projects.

Click here to apply

For more information, visit African Poetry Digital Humanities Grant.