May, 2012 | Scholarship for Nigerians and Africans

Aga Khan International Scholarship Programme

/ May 26, 2012 Leave a Comment
Region: Africa, Europe, Near East, South Asia, Western Hemisphere
Grant Type: Study and Research Grants
Description:
The Aga Khan Foundation provides a limited number of scholarships each year for postgraduate studies to outstanding students from developing countries who have no other means of financing their studies. Scholarships are awarded on a 50% grant : 50% loan basis through a competitive application process once a year in June or July. The Foundation gives priority to requests for Master’s level courses but is also willing to consider applications for PhD programmes, when doctoral degrees are necessary for the career objectives of the student. Requests will also be considered for travel and study awards for PhD students doing their research in Third World countries on topics judged to be of interest to the Aga Khan Development Network. Applications for short-term courses are not considered; neither are applications from students who have already started their course of study.
The Foundation accepts applications from countries where it has branches, affiliates or other AKDN agencies which can help with processing applications and interviewing applicants. At present, these are Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Syria, Iran, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Mozambique, Madagascar, France, Portugal, UK, USA and Canada.
The main criteria for selecting award winners are: l) excellent academic records, 2) genuine financial need, 3) admission to a reputable institution of higher learning and 4) thoughtful and coherent educational and career plans. Candidates are also evaluated on their extra-curricular interests and achievements, potential to achieve their goals and likelihood to succeed in a foreign academic environment. Applicants are expected to have a few years of work experience in their field of interest.
Applications are accepted from students up to 30 years of age.
The Foundation assists students with tuition fees and living expenses only. The cost of travel is not included in AKF scholarships. Applicants are requested to make every effort to obtain funding from other sources as well, so that the amount requested from the Foundation can be reduced to a minimum. Preference is given to those who have been able to secure some funding from alternative sources.
Half of the scholarship amount is considered as a loan, which must be reimbursed with an annual service charge of 5%. A guarantor is required to co-sign the loan agreement. The payback period is five years, starting six months after the study period funded by the Aga Khan Foundation.
The application procedures of AKF’s International Scholarship Programme are decentralised. Students may obtain application forms as of January 1st each year from AKF offices or Aga Khan Education Services / Boards in their countries of current residence. Completed applications should be returned to the agency from which the form was obtained, or to the address indicated on the front of the form. They should not be sent to Geneva. The deadline for submission of applications is March 31.
Applicants should be prepared to be interviewed by local Scholarship Committees about their financial situation, their academic performance, extra-curricular achievements and career plans. Interview reports are sent with the applications to Geneva for the final selection.
The annual Scholarship Selection Meeting takes place in late June or early July and the Aga Khan Foundation notifies all students of the outcome of their application shortly thereafter.
Country:  
Deadline: Varies
Contact Person:  
Contact Email:  
Organization: Aga Khan Foundation
Website: http://www.akdn.org/
Filed Under: Bachelors Degree, Information Technology, Physical Science, Social Science Tags: , , , , ,

The African Women’s Development Fund

/ May 26, 2012 Leave a Comment
Region: Africa
Grant Type: Project Grants
Description: The AWDF funds local, national, sub-regional and regional organisations in Africa working towards women’s empowerment. The AWDF is an institutional capacity-building and programme development fund, which aims to help build a culture of learning and partnerships within the African women’s movement. In addition to raising money and awarding grants, the AWDF will attempt to strengthen the organisational capacities of its grantees.

 

The AWDF funds work in six thematic areas:

 

  • Women’s Human Rights
  • Political Participation
  • Peace Building
  • Health & Reproductive Rights
  • Economic Empowerment.
  • HIV/AIDS

The AWDF will prioritise programs which develop and promote women’s leadership and advocacy across all these themes. These thematic areas have been chosen because they feature very highly on the agenda of the African women’s movement.

 

Who can apply?
Organisations can be local, national, sub-regional or regional African women’s organisations, from any part of Africa.
Local women’s organisations should send in the names of two referees, one of who should be a member of a women’s organisation that operates nationally.  
 

 

What types of grants do we support?
The AWDF will give grants for projects related to any of the thematic areas specified above. We expect applicants to build in relevant and reasonable running/core costs into their project proposals.

 

We will give grants to national and regional organisations for aspects of organisational growth and development such as strategic planning, developing fundraising strategies, communications systems, retreats, governance systems, etc.
We will give grants for capital costs such as purchase of computers, printers, photocopiers.

 

Frequency of grant making
AWDF will make grants in three cycles each year. Applications can be sent in at any time.

 

Size of grants 
Organisations can apply for grants ranging from $5000 – $50,000. Kindly note that most grants will be for less than the maximum. Grants over $20,000 will only be made to organisations which operate on a regional basis.

 

Criteria for the review of grant applications:

 

  • Applying organisations should preferably have been in existence for at least three years.
  • Women’s organisations have to be led and managed by women.
  • National or regional civil society organisations may apply for a women-specific project, but will have to demonstrate that there are women involved in their governance, and that the project will be managed by a senior woman in the organisation.
  • Potential grantees should show how the project proposal fits into the organisation’s overall strategy for the area of work or community in which it is located.
  • Organisations have to demonstrate how their work fits into either a local, national or regional strategy for the empowerment of African women.
  • Applying organisations should have basic organisational systems and structures in place. We will look for evidence of effective leadership, planning and networking.
  • The organisation should have a clear evaluation and sustainability plan for the project
  • The potential to raise additional funding.
  • Ability to manage funds and account for them in a transparent manner.

The AWDF will not support the following projects:

 

  • Organisations that aim to convert people to any religious belief
  • Political parties or women’s wings of political parties
  • Individuals
  • Government departments
  • Scholarships and fellowships for academic studies
  • Women’s organisations which are not led by women

How to apply
Interested organisations should send in their proposals to the AWDF secretariat in Accra, Ghana, using the grant application guidelines. Applications can be sent in English, French, or Portuguese, by email, fax or post. Please note that whilst we will accept applications by email and fax, we still expect a hard copy. 

 

Grant Application Guidelines
In order to consider your request, we need basic and specific information about your organisation, its composition, and its purposes. We need to know how your organisation believes its work can be supported with a grant of $5,000- $50,000 from the African Women’s Development Fund. Please write your project proposal using the following guidelines:

 

Contact Information

 

Name of organisation
Address ( Physical & Postal)
Telephone and Fax numbers
E-mail address, and World Wide Web site address (if any)
Contact person’s name and title
Who completed this proposal? Please sign and date.
Contact details of two (2) referees
How did you learn about the African Women’s Development Fund?

Organizational Information

 

1. Purpose of the organization?

 

  • What are your organisation’s main goals?
  • When was your organisation formed?
  • Who started your organisation and why?
  • Is your organisation local, national, sub-regional or regional?
  • In which region(s) does your organisation work?
  • Who are the main beneficiaries of your organisation’s activities?
  • What are your organisational strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats?

2. Structure

 

  • How does your organisation make decisions? Does your organisation have a staff, a board, advisors, or volunteers?
  • How many of each? What are their roles? How many are women? What are their positions?
  • How many people participate in your organisation? Do you have members? If so, how many? How many are women? What are their positions?
  • Is your organisation a women’s organization? If not, please explain the role women play in making decisions about your organisation’s activities.

3. Activities and/or Programs

 

  • What would you describe as the key areas of work for your organisation, i.e. women’s human rights issues, economic empowerment, etc.
  • What are the key challenges your organisation faces in this area of work?
  • Describe your organisation’s past activities and/or programs.
  • Describe your organisation’s present activities and/or programs.
  • What are your organisation’s plans for the future?
  • How does this project you are applying for fit into those plans?

4. Financial Situation

 

  • Please include your budget for your current financial year
  • What sources of funds does your organisation have for the next twelve months? (Please list sources and amounts.)
  • Enclose a set of audited accounts for your last financial year. If these are not available, a financial statement signed by your Treasurer and one other officer or member. The audited accounts/financial statement should include sources of funds for your activities and details of income and expenditure.

Grant Request Information

 

  • How much money are you applying for?
  • For what purpose are you seeking a grant from the African Women’s Development Fund? State project objectives.
  • How many women do you expect to benefit from this project and how?
    Please tell us specifically how this grant will be used, and include an activity plan and monitoring plan.
  • Clearly describe project sustainability plan
  • How will this grant enable your organisation to achieve its strategic objectives?
  • What is the change you expect to see at the end of this grant?
  • How will the grant benefit the women you wish to work with?
    a) What are the views/perceptions within your community on the issues covered by the project?
    b) How do you expect to change these views by the end of the project?
  • What, if any, changes will the project make at policy and legislative levels?
  • Any other changes achieved?

Provide a detailed budget for the project. If you have prepared the budget using your local currency, please include the US dollar or Pounds Sterling equivalent.

Please include the following information:

  • A copy of your most recent annual report and financial statement
  • Brochures/leaflets describing the work you do
  • Relevant photographs, press clippings, posters, videos (if available)
  • Kindly note that these will not be retuned to you, so you should only send information which you are willing to part with.

Whilst we will accept applications by email and fax, we still expect a hard copy by post. We receive a lot of applications, so we will prioritise those proposals which arrive complete with all the information we have asked for.

All applications should be sent to:

 

African Women’s Development Fund
Plot Number 78,
Ambassadorial Enclave,
East Legon – Ghana

 

Mailing Address
PMB CT 89 Cantonments,
Accra, Ghana.
Tel:+233 21 521257

 

E-mail: awdf@awdf.org

 

Click here for more information

 

 
Country:  
Deadline: Rolling
Contact Person:  
Contact Email: awdf@awdf.org
Organization: The African Women’s Development Fund
Website: http://www.awdf.org
Filed Under: Grants and Fellowships, Physical Science Tags: , , ,

Research Grants, Dissertation Grants and Young Investigators Grants – The Jacobs Foundation

/ May 26, 2012 2 Comments

Region:Africa, Central Asia, East Asia / Pacific, Europe, Near East, Eurasia, South Asia, Western HemisphereGrant Type:Study and Research GrantsDescription:

The Jacobs Foundation

The Jacobs Foundation was established by Klaus J. Jacobs in December, 1988, in Zurich, Switzerland, as a private philanthropic organization. It operates throughout the world.

The Foundation supports scientific research projects and their implementation which
• lastingly enhance the quality of young people’s lives
• promote their personal and professional development, and
• enable them to personally contribute to shaping tomorrow’s world

Grant Application Procedure

The Jacobs Foundation makes a range of grants available to qualified applicants, from Research Grants to Dissertation and Young Investigators grants. Candidates for grants are invited to submit first:

·A short initial request, not exceeding 3 pages in length, which clearly describes the project or program and its objectives
·An itemised list of the amount of financial support requested
·A summary description of the applicant’s qualifications and accomplishments
·A list of all foundations or agencies to which requests for support for this proposal have been made

We propose that you use one of our 2 standard initial request forms and send them to our e-mail address: jf@jacobsfoundation.org

  • Preliminary Research Proposal (Research Grants or Young Scholars)
  • Implementation Project Proposal; Preliminary Application Form

Please note that there are no deadlines for submitting initial requests.

Please also note that we do not maintain any scholarship or tuition assistance programs, that we do not support construction or building projects, that we do not support publishing projects and that we do not contribute to fundraising drives or operating budgets.

On the basis of the initial request, the proposal is reviewed in consideration of the Foundation’s goals and objectives. If it is determined that the project could possibly be supported, a supplementary and more detailed proposal may be solicited.

Grants are decided upon by the Board of Trustees three times a year. To ensure a timely review of proposals, applicants should submit their projects in either January, May, or September.

Both the initial request and the full proposal must be submitted in the English language.

The criteria for the evaluation of all applications, solicited or unsolicited, are:
· The relevance of the project to the Foundation’s objectives
· The quality of the proposed project
· The applicant’s qualifications and capacities to execute the project successfully.

Further information about the Foundation is provided in the brochure “Priorities, Programs, Procedures”, which is available upon request.

Dissertation and Young Investigator Grants in Adolescence and Youth Research

The Jacobs Foundation runs a competitive grant program for empirical research investigations conducted either as dissertation projects or as young investigator projects (postdoc). Fields covered include the behavioral, educational, and social sciences.  

The program is directed towards young investigators from Central and Eastern Europe (former communist countries) and from developing nations in Asia, Africa, Central and South America.

Topical Emphases
The Jacobs Foundation has identified three general areas of interest in research on youth and adolescence:

  • Development of life skills and social competence 
  • Sensitivity toward nature and the environment 
  • Capability to effectively use modern information technology

Within their general framework, the following topics are of special interest. These are not meant to be exhaustive:

  • Beliefs about self agency and the future
  • Social relations and generational nexus
  • Life skills and life planning
  • Cultural and individual diversity
  • Educational values and citizenship
  • Individual development and institutions (education, youth organizations, etc.)
  • Interplay and improvement of cultural literacies
  • Communication skills

Dissertation Grants
Dissertation grants are available to pre-doctoral students whose dissertation proposal has the approval of a dissertation mentor or committee. Funds up to USD 5’000 are available for materials, subject fees, research assistance, and other expenses required for conducting the study, analyzing data, presenting the results at conferences, or other forms of technical support. Personal stipends (salaries) are not covered by the grant program.

Young Investigator Grants
This program is aimed at postdoctoral investigators within a four-year period following the attainment of the doctoral degree. Applicants are expected to initiate their own research in the field of adolescence and youth. Funds up to a maximum of USD 10’000 are available for materials, subject fees, research assistance, and other expenses required for conducting the study, analyzing data, presenting the results at conferences, or other forms of technical support. Personal stipends (salaries) are not covered by the grant program. Institutions which host the investigator can claim an overhead of up to a maximum of USD 1’000.

Application
The application procedure is twofold: firstly, an Initial Request is to be submitted to the Jacobs Foundation. If the Initial Request is evaluated positively, a Full Research Proposal then has to be elaborated and sent to the Jacobs Foundation.

Initial Request
The Initial Request describes (1) the study goals and (2) their congruence with the Foundation’s mission statement; (3) the specific research questions; (4) design; (5) sample; (6) a preliminary budget;
(7) an approximate time schedule for the completion of the project, and finally, a short Curriculum Vitae of the applicant. The Initial Request should not exceed 5 pages. If the project is evaluated positively, the applicant is invited to submit a Full Research Proposal to the Jacobs Foundation.

Full Research Proposal
The Full Research Proposal contains three sections, i.e., (I) research project, (II) budget and timing, and (III) personal career. The Full Research Proposal should not exceed 15 pages.

I. The research section contains (1) the project title, (2) a summary, (3) the research questions, (4) a review of the relevant literature, (5) hypotheses, (6) detailed information about methodological procedures (sample, instruments, analyzing techniques), (7) expected results with reference to the Jacobs Foundation mission statement.

II. The budget and timing section contains (1) a time schedule for the completion of the project and (2) a detailed budget.

III. The personal career part contains (1) a Curriculum Vitae, (2) a statement of how the project would promote the applicant’s career, (3) an approval of the mentoror the committee for dissertation projects, or for young investigator grants a short recommendation from a mentor and an institutional confirmation of the applicant’s status as a young investigator.

Evaluation

The Initial Request should be sent to Jacobs Foundation, Seefeldquai 17, P.O. Box, CH-8034 Zurich, Switzerland. Submission by e-mail is requested (jf@jacobsfoundation.org). Submission deadlines for Full Research Proposals are three times per year, i.e., February 1st, June 1st and October 1st. Applicants receive a response within three months.

An Expert Committee of scholars in the field of adolescence and youth will review the Full Research Proposals and make a funding recommendation to the Jacobs Foundation.

Country: Deadline:RollingContact Person: Contact Email: Organization:The Jacobs FoundationWebsite:http://www.jacobsfoundation.org/

Filed Under: Grants and Fellowships Tags: , , , , , , , ,