Fulbright Scholar Award

Africa Regional Research Program

Multi-Country

Multi-country

Benin

Botswana

Cabo Verde

Cote d'Ivoire

Eswatini

Ethiopia

Gambia, The

Ghana

Guinea

Kenya

Madagascar

Malawi

Mauritius

Mozambique

Namibia

Nigeria

Rwanda

Senegal

Sierra Leone

Tanzania

Uganda

Zambia

Zimbabwe

Togo

Application Deadline
closed
Award Code
25075-MC
Activity Type
Research
Research includes activities involving scientific research, qualitative research, quantitative research, and practice-based research, including artistic research. Research can take place in locations such as the laboratory, the field, the archives, or an artist residency. It can be experimental, clinical, or applied. It can include examining policies, systems, theories, methods, interactions, and works of art and music, with the objective to evaluate or develop new knowledge or works. Quantifiable (tangible) outcomes can include publications (books, journal articles, scripts, etc.), conference presentations, artistic and musical compositions, exhibitions, performances, films, and patents.
Degree Requirements
Ph.D. (or other terminal degree) required
Career Profile
Early Career Academics
Awards are open to those who have been working in the capacity of a teacher or scholar for no more than seven years.
Mid-Career Academics
Awards are open to those who have been working in the capacity of a teacher or scholar for more than seven, and less than 13, years.
Senior Academics
Awards are open to those who have been working in the capacity of a teacher or scholar for more than 13 years.

Number of recipients

Up To
10
Award Start Period
August 2025 - March 2026
Award Length
3 months - 9 months
Flex Option
Yes
Multi-Country/Area Award
Yes
Multi-Country
3
Disciplines
Projects are sought in all disciplines
Scholars selected for this award will be required to
Conduct a research project of the applicant’s choosing

In addition to being a prestigious academic exchange program, the Fulbright Program is designed to expand and strengthen relationships between the people of the United States and citizens of other nations and to promote international understanding and cooperation. To support this mission, Fulbright Scholars may be asked to give public talks, mentor students, and otherwise engage with the host community, in addition to their primary activities‎.

Award Activity

Conduct research in up to three Sub-Saharan African countries. The Africa Regional Research Program (ARRP) has two overall objectives: (1) to increase or develop new contacts and intellectual ties between U.S. and African communities and (2) to contribute to scholarship on Africa.  The most competitive proposals will be those that describe a significant and achievable research project and that demonstrate commitment to developing scholarly relationships with African faculty. Grantees are expected to give occasional lectures and seminars in consultation with host universities and U.S. Embassies and provide copies of their research findings to their host colleagues or institutions.

ARRP applications are accepted for countries in the region with active Fulbright U.S. Scholar programs, except South Africa. Research-only proposals for South Africa must be submitted separately under the South Africa awards. Those interested in conducting research in North Africa (Egypt and Morocco) should apply for the Middle East and North Africa Regional Research Program.

Continuous Grant Period: If applying for one continuous grant period, applicants can propose to conduct research either in one country for three to nine months, or in two or three countries for five to nine months total. *Applicants proposing more than one country must propose to stay in each country for at least one month.

Flex Grant: The Flex option is available for scholars who require multiple visits to the host country or countries. Applicants should clearly indicate plans for Flex in their project statement, including a project timeline. Host institution letters of invitation should also confirm the timeline proposed. If applying for a Flex grant, the minimum grant length is 4 months and the maximum is 6 months. The minimum length of a grant segment is one month, and a maximum of one grant segment can be one month. All other proposed segments must be greater than one month. See FLEX Description below for more information on FLEX scheduling. 

If you are interested in pursuing research in a country that does not offer an active U.S. Scholar award, please reach out to subsaharanafrica@iie.org to inquire if this may be possible.

Locations
Location Selection: Applicant may propose an appropriate host
Locations Detail

For each proposed country, applicants must arrange affiliation and include a letter of invitation from an African university. If the institution you are interested in working with is not an African university, please contact IIE before requesting a letter of invitation.

Award Length and Period

See Grant Activity section for details.

As early as August 2025; no later than March 2026. For Flex grants, the first grant segment must begin between August 2025 and March 2026. The final Flex segment must be completed no later than two years after the first segment begins.

Flex Description

Host institution letters of invitation should also confirm the timeline proposed.

The Flex Award is designed for scholars who require multiple visits to the host country. This option allows grants to be conducted over two or three short segments. Applicants must select Flex in the application form, and clearly describe their plans for Flex in their project statement, including a project timeline. Flex grantees may be asked to give public talks, mentor students, and otherwise engage with the host-country academic community.

Grant segments are allowed to be conducted in summer months (June, July, and August)
Yes
SEGMENTS MAY BE PROPOSED FOR Up to a 2 year PERIOD
3 Segments MAY BE PROPOSED
MAXIMUM LENGTH OF THE TOTAL GRANT IS 6 MONTH(S)
MINIMUM LENGTH FOR ANY GRANT SEGMENT IS 1 MONTH(S)
MINIMUM LENGTH OF THE TOTAL GRANT IS 4 MONTH(S)

All applicants must meet the Program eligibility requirements (click to review the requirements).

Citizenship/Residency Requirement
Not applicable – all U.S. citizens are eligible to apply, regardless of dual citizenship or residency.
Invitation Requirement
A letter of invitation is required.
Invitation Requirement Additional Information

A letter of invitation from each proposed host institution, confirming the applicant's proposed timeline, must be submitted at the time of application.

Language Proficiency Requirements
Recommended
Required Proficiency

Applicants are encouraged to register qualified language evaluator, such as a language instructor or a translator, to conduct the external assessment in the application. Being a native speaker alone does not qualify an individual to conduct the assessment.

Applicants who are native speakers do not need to complete an external evaluation.

Additional Language Requirement

Appropriate language facility is needed for research in non-English speaking areas. Applicants should clearly describe language requirements for the proposed research in the project statement and submit a Language Proficiency Evaluation if research will require non-English language proficiency. 

Additional Qualification Information

Evidence of a scholarly research record after obtaining Ph.D. or equivalent terminal degree in field of specialization for the proposed project is required.

Award Allowances

Monthly benefits will follow the rates for Researchers for Core Fulbright U.S. Scholar grants in each proposed country.

Estimated Travel and Relocation Allowance for Grantee

Round-trip, economy-class, international travel arranged by travel agent designated by IIE, for scholar and up to two accompanying dependents for consecutive grant periods. A $2,050-$2,850 allowance will be provided to cover the costs associated with relocation and excess baggage. For Flex grants: round trip travel will be included for each segment of the grant for the grantee only. Dependent travel will not be provided.

Estimated Book and Research Allowance

$3,000 research allowance. Country-specific book allowance not provided for ARRP grants.

Do you offer additional dependent benefits
Yes

For grantees proposing a continuous grant period, a dependent education allowance of up to $12,500 per child or $25,000 per family for accompanying dependents in grades K-12 is reimbursed for a full academic year, upon submission of receipts, and depending on funding availability. Amount may be adjusted for shorter grant periods. Reimbursement is based on actual cost of tuition and fees only. Flex grants: dependent tuition allowance will not be provided.

For information on additional dependent benefits, monthly benefits will follow the rates for Researchers for Core Fulbright U.S. Scholar grants in each proposed country.

Dependents must accompany the grantee for at least 80% of the period abroad and a minimum of one semester in order to qualify for additional dependent benefits. Dependent benefits are not provided to Flex grantees.

Please refer to the figures above for an estimate of total monthly Fulbright award benefits. Benefits may include a monthly base stipend, living and housing allowances, and additional one-time allowances. Benefits may vary based on a scholar's current academic rank (or professional equivalent), the city of placement, the type of award (teaching, teaching/research, or research), and the number of and duration of stay of accompanying dependents. Research-only or Professional Project grantees receive a standard stipend that is not adjusted for academic rank. In most cases, dependent benefits will not be provided to Flex grantees, or to grantees pursuing grants less than four months (or a semester) in length.

Final grant amounts will be determined prior to the start of the academic year and are subject to the availability of funds. The United States Department of State reserves the right to alter, without notice, participating countries, number of awards and allowances.