Deadline: February 27, 2026
Applications are open for the Rebecca Rhodes African Inclusive Literacy Research Grant 2026. In memory of inclusive education champion Rebecca H. Rhodes, the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) and the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) established the Rebecca H. Rhodes African Inclusive Literacy Research Prize in 2023 to support research by African scholars and practitioners investigating how to help children and youth with disabilities learn to read and write and read and write to learn.
UNESCOs estimates that fewer than 10% of children with known disabilities in Africa attend school, and of those, few are learning to read and write (UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report, 2020). Many other children in school have unrecognized disabilities and struggle to meet minimum learning standards. Several factors lead to these challenges in different countries and contexts, and current policies and initiatives struggle to make critical progress. At the same time, many governments, non-governmental/civil society organizations, and communities are earnestly seeking and experimenting with solutions to serve these children and the youth they become, and need more evidence on what is needed and what might work.
While many international agencies and organizations work on inclusive literacy, the most effective and sustainable approaches and national policies must come from a greater understanding of the local challenges, assets, and solutions in each context. African scholars and practitioners are best placed to conduct this research, but African research is severely underfunded. The Rebecca H. Rhodes African Inclusive Literacy Research Prize aims to make a modest contribution to address this problem, with a particular focus on the most resource-constrained regions on the continent that also have the greatest potential to make important strides to secure foundational literacy for children and youth with disabilities, namely in West, Central, East, and Southern Africa.
Grant
- The third round of the Rebecca H. Rhodes African Inclusive Literacy Research Prize will comprise one $5,000 USD prize to be made to a single primary applicant – an individual (not an organization) – to help cover expenses for proposed research related to literacy education (i.e., foundational reading skills, and, optionally, writing/written communication skills) for children or youth with disabilities and/or special education needs.
Eligibility
- The primary applicant MUST:
- Hold current citizenship of an African country, with a preference for those from West, East, Central, and/or Southern Africa.
- Either currently reside in an African country OR must have resided in an African country for two weeks or more during the past 24 months counting from February 2026 AND demonstrate an intention to work in an African country in the next one-two years, at least.
- The proposed research must be conducted in West, East, Central, or Southern Africa. This can include one or more countries.
- Research proposed for this prize should be completed and results made available within 18 months of any prize awarded in March 2026.
- Applications accepted in English or French.
Application
All application materials must be submitted in French or English, in a single file in Word, Google Docs, or PDF format. All components should be single-spaced, with 1-inch/2.5cm margins using 12pt Times New Roman or font or roughly equivalent size.
Submit your application to: [email protected]
For more information, visit Rebecca Rhodes African Inclusive Literacy Research Grant.