Carnegie Corporation funding will support 120 new projects and introduce innovative small-grant opportunities
NEW YORK, October 10, 2017—Universities in Africa and African-born academics in the United States and Canada can now apply for funding to take part in joint projects as part of the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program (CADFP). This is an innovative collaboration between the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Institute of International Education, an Advisory Council of prominent African academics, and the United States International University-Africa. The new grant cycle will support approximately 120 collaborative projects in 2018 and 2019, building on the success of the first four years of the program. Project requests from universities and applications from scholars are due by December 8, 2017 and projects can begin as early as May 2018. Interested applicants can find eligibility requirements and instructions on the “How to Apply” section of the program’s website.
Fellowships match host universities with African-born scholars, individually or in groups, and cover the expenses for project visits up to three months. From 2014 to 2017, the program funded 274 fellowships for scholars to collaborate with 102 African institutions of higher learning in Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa in the areas of collaborative research, curriculum co-development and graduate student teaching and mentoring.
A recent Carnegie Corporation-commissioned external review of the program concludes that “these short-term, intense diaspora models hold the promise of providing a quick jolt of energy and connectivity into what is often a long-labored endeavor of institutional development.”
What’s New?
The CADFP Advisory Council seeks applications for innovative projects, and specifically encourages projects that involve collaboration among multiple institutions or from groups of faculty who are addressing related topics. To solidify links that have already been developed between host institutions and visiting scholars, the program will award some Fellowships to faculty members who are alumni from the first four years of the program. The Advisory Council also encourages projects in the areas of climate change, resilience and adaptation as well as health sciences and wellbeing.
How the Projects and Fellowships Work
All projects are collaborations between the host institution and the visiting Fellow. All scholar and project proposals are evaluated by a review committed and must be approved by the Advisory Council.
Public and private higher education institutions in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda are invited to submit a project request to host a scholar for 21 to 90 days. Prospective hosts are eligible but not required to name a proposed scholar in their request. Many African institutions and prospective Fellows collaborate on ideas for a project that is then submitted by the institution. IIE maintains a scholar roster to facilitate matches, according to the discipline specializations, expertise, activities and objectives described in a project request. Candidates are required to have a terminal degree in their field and can hold any academic rank. When a scholar is successfully matched with a selected project, he or she is awarded a Fellowship to conduct a project visit to the host institution.
See full list of 2017 projects, hosts, and scholars and their universities.
The Carnegie Corporation of New York funds the program, and the Institute of International Education provides fellowship management as well as administrative and logistical support for the fellows and the host universities. An Advisory Council of prominent African academics led by Paul Tiyambe Zeleza provides strategic direction, and the United States International University-Africa houses the program’s Secretariat.
Please direct all questions related to the application process to AfricanDiaspora@iie.org.
Connect with the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship
About the Institute of International Education
The Institute of International Education is a world leader in the international exchange of people and ideas. An independent, not-for-profit organization founded in 1919, IIE has a network of 19 offices and affiliates worldwide and over 1,200 member institutions. IIE designs and implements programs of study and training for students, educators, young professionals, and trainees from all sectors with funding from government agencies, foundations, and corporations. IIE also conducts policy research and program evaluations, and provides advising and counseling on international education and opportunities abroad.
IIE’s presence in Africa has spanned over 30 years. From 1979-2001, the USAID-funded South Africa Education Program opened the doors for black South Africans to obtain the knowledge, skills and professional credentials required to succeed in a post-apartheid government. In 2008, IIE established an office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where it implements a strong set of programs in leadership development, organizational effectiveness, and higher education scholarship administration. By creating and administering exchange and training programs, IIE helps develop the talent and human resources needed to address the challenges and harness the opportunities emerging on the African continent.
About United States International University-Africa (USIU-Africa)
Since its inception in 1969, a core component of the United States International University-Africa’s vision and mission has been promoting trans-national, holistic and high quality education. It is a private, independent, secular university with about 7000 students from 75 countries on every continent. It offers bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees in its six schools of Humanities and Social Sciences, Business, Science and Technology, Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Graduate Studies, Research and Extension, and Communication, Creative and Cinematic Arts. USIU-Africa is the only university in Eastern Africa with dual accreditation by the Commission for University Education in Kenya and the WASC Senior Colleges and University Commission in the United States.
About Carnegie Corporation of New York
Carnegie Corporation of New York was established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 “to promote the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding.” In keeping with this mandate, the Corporation’s work focuses on the issues that Andrew Carnegie considered of paramount importance: international peace, the advancement of education and knowledge, and the strength of our democracy.
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