Looking for a funded trip abroad, an international award or a training programme? Here are 26 global trainings, awards and funded travel opportunities that are open now and that Africans can apply for. They include fully funded fellowships in the US and Germany, a UN course in Addis Ababa, journalism prizes worth US$20,000 and a US$500,000 prize for schools.
Several deadlines fall this week, so start with the “Closing Soon” table. Each entry links to the official page. Always confirm details there before applying.
Closing Soon: Deadlines at a Glance
| Opportunity | Deadline |
|---|---|
| EJN Reporting Fellowships to cover BBNJ COP1 (New York) | 27 Oct 2026 |
| UN Regional Course in International Law for Africa | 30 Oct 2026 |
| Tyler Prize Student Ambassador | 30 Oct 2026 |
| True Story Award (US$20,000) | 31 Oct 2026 |
| Forty under 40 Africa Award | 31 Oct 2026 |
| IUSSP Early Career Award | 1 Nov 2026 |
| EJN 30×30 Media Workshops (Ghana) | 2 Nov 2026 |
| Raisina Young Fellows Programme | 2 Nov 2026 |
| Amazon Research Awards | 4 Nov 2026 |
| IFIP Global Conference Scholarship | 6 Nov 2026 |
| EQUALS in Tech Awards | 7 Nov 2026 |
| UN Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Peoples | 8 Nov 2026 |
| Changemakers for Youth (Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia) | 9 Nov 2026 |
The Princeton in Africa Fellowship 2027–2028 closes today, 26 October. Apply now if you’re ready.
Trainings, Courses and Leadership Programmes
1. United Nations Regional Course in International Law for Africa 2027 (funding available)
This is an intensive in-person course run by the UN Office of Legal Affairs with Ethiopia, the African Union and UNECA. It takes place in Addis Ababa from 15 March to 7 April 2027 and is aimed at professionals with a legal background and experience in international law. Fellowship recipients get travel, accommodation, meals, medical insurance, materials and a modest stipend.
Deadline: 30 October 2026 · Official application page
2. EJN Virtual Media Workshops on the 30×30 Target and Marine Protected Areas 2027
Earth Journalism Network is running virtual workshops for journalists on the global target to protect 30% of land and sea by 2030, and on marine protected areas. In Africa, only journalists and content creators in Ghana can apply. The other workshops are for Mexico and the Philippines.
Deadline: 2 November 2026 · Official page
3. Falling Walls Female Science Talents Intensive Track 2027 (fully funded)
This is a one-year career programme for 20 early-career women scientists worldwide. It includes workshops, mentoring and networking, plus two in-person meetings in Berlin with travel and accommodation covered. Final-stage PhD candidates and postdocs who finished their PhD in 2021 or later can apply, in any discipline.
Deadline: 15 November 2026 · Official page
4. East-West Center Advanced Leadership Program 2027 (funded)
This is a two-month fellowship in Hawai‘i (1 June – 31 July 2027) for established professionals. It covers accommodation, a stipend of up to US$1,000 a month, J-1 visa sponsorship and health insurance.
Deadline: 15 November 2026 · Read our full guide · Official page
5. ATRIUM Summer School 2027: Artificial Intelligence for the Humanities
This is a free two-week course at Charles University in Prague (12–23 July 2027) on AI and text analysis for humanities and social science researchers, using R. Eligible participants can get up to €600 for economy travel, plus accommodation and a daily allowance. Funding comes through the ATRIUM Transnational Access scheme, so check its eligibility rules for your country before applying.
Deadline: 30 November 2026 · Official page
6. ifa CrossCulture Programme (CCP) Fellowships 2027
These are funded placements of 2–3 months with host organisations in Germany or another partner country, for civil society professionals and volunteers with at least 2 years’ experience. They include a €650 monthly stipend, flights, accommodation, insurance and visa costs.
Deadline: 8 December 2026 · Read our full guide · Official page
7. YALI Rwanda Chapter Legacy Leaders Training Programme 2026
This is practical training in leadership, civic engagement, entrepreneurship and community impact from the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) Rwanda chapter. It suits young leaders, especially in Rwanda and the region.
Deadline: Ongoing · Official application page
8. Changemakers for Youth Programme 2027 (stipend available)
This programme is for social entrepreneurs and youth leaders working in Egypt, Morocco or Tunisia (plus Germany, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Switzerland). It includes a summit with accommodation and meals covered, capacity building and travel stipends for flights and visas.
Deadline: 9 November 2026 · Official page
Fully Funded Fellowships Abroad
9. Raisina Young Fellows Programme 2027 (fully funded)
This programme is for emerging leaders, generally aged 28–35, in diplomacy, business, media, civil society or academia. Fellows join the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi, with flights, accommodation, meals and local transport covered. Africans apply through the Policy Center for the New South (PCNS).
Deadline: 2 November 2026 · Read our full guide · Official page
10. Echidna Global Scholars Visiting Fellowship 2027 (US$26,500 stipend)
Run by the Brookings Center for Universal Education for leaders from the Global South working on gender-transformative education. It includes a four-month residency in Washington, D.C., a US$26,500 stipend, travel, housing, visa costs and limited health insurance. You’ll normally need a master’s degree and 10+ years of experience.
Deadline: 1 December 2026 · Official page
11. John S. Knight Journalism Fellowships 2027–2028 (US$135,000 stipend)
This is a nine-month fellowship at Stanford University for experienced journalists. It comes with a US$135,000 stipend, Stanford tuition and health insurance.
Deadline: 2 December 2026 · Read our full guide · Official page
12. Columbia University Italian Academy Fellowship 2027–2028
This is a paid research fellowship in New York for scholars of any nationality. The 2027–28 themes are adolescent psychiatry, AI for early pancreatic cancer detection, and architectural history and preservation. Fellows receive a salary, health benefits and an office.
Deadline: 4 December 2026 · Read our full guide · Official page
Awards and Prizes
13. True Story Award 2027 (US$20,000 per category)
This award recognises outstanding written journalism worldwide in three categories: Research, Storytelling and Impact. Each winner gets US$20,000. Entries must have been published between 1 October 2025 and 30 September 2026.
Deadline: 31 October 2026 · Official page
14. Forty under 40 Africa Award 2026
This award celebrates African entrepreneurs, founders and professionals under 40 across sectors including tech, health, finance, agriculture, media and social enterprise. Nominees must be citizens of an African country, living in Africa or in the diaspora.
Deadline: 31 October 2026 · Read our full guide · Official nomination page
15. IUSSP Early Career Award 2027
This award honours early-career population scholars, with a dedicated Africa region. Winners present at a webinar and get free registration for the 2029 International Population Conference in Barcelona. You’ll generally need no more than 7 years since your PhD.
Deadline: 1 November 2026 · Official page
16. Amazon Research Awards: Fall 2026
These awards give unrestricted funding and AWS credits to full-time faculty and permanent researchers at non-profit institutions worldwide, in areas such as agentic AI, security, cryptography, multilingual AI and synthetic data.
Deadline: 4 November 2026 · Official call
17. EQUALS in Tech Awards 2027
These awards recognise programmes that use technology to improve the lives of women and girls. Categories are Emerging Tech for Inclusion, Digital Skills and Leadership Pathways, and Safe and Inclusive Digital Spaces. NGOs, governments, universities, companies and social enterprises worldwide can apply.
Deadline: 7 November 2026 · Official page
18. Yves Rocher Foundation Terre de Femmes International Award 2027 (€10,000)
This award is for women, or groups of women, leading nature conservation projects through a non-profit that has existed for at least a year. The 2027 theme is “Trees in the City”. Two global winners each receive €10,000, and it’s open to all nationalities.
Deadline: 30 November 2026 · Official page
19. Vital Impacts Environmental Photography Fellowships and Mentorships 2027
These support long-term documentary photography on environmental and conservation stories. There’s one US$20,000 fellowship for an established photographer, six US$5,000 fellowships for emerging photographers, and 10 mentorships. Photographers documenting their own communities are strongly encouraged.
Deadline: 1 December 2026 · Official page
20. Quality of Government (QoG) Institute Best Paper Award 2026
This award is for research on governance, corruption, clientelism and impartiality published or presented between September 2025 and September 2026. The winner spends a week at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, with travel and accommodation covered.
Deadline: 9 December 2026 · Official page
21. Global Schools Prize 2027 (US$500,000)
The Varkey Foundation prize for schools transforming education. Ten category winners each get US$50,000, and one overall winner gets US$500,000. Schools worldwide serving children of compulsory school age can apply.
Deadline: 16 December 2026 · Official application platform
22. Tyler Prize Student Ambassador 2027
University students worldwide, undergraduate or postgraduate, full-time or part-time, can promote the work of leading environmental scientists through blogs, videos and events. Ambassadors get training in storytelling, events and networking.
Deadline: 30 October 2026 · Official site
Funded Conference and Travel Opportunities
23. EJN Reporting Fellowships to Cover BBNJ COP1 in New York (closes tomorrow)
Ten journalists from coastal countries will cover the first Conference of the Parties to the High Seas Treaty in New York, 9–23 January 2027. Flights, accommodation, meals, insurance and visa costs are covered, plus a daily allowance. You’ll need experience reporting on oceans and a letter of support from an editor.
Deadline: 27 October 2026 · Official page
24. IFIP Global Conference 2027 Scholarship (Darwin, Australia)
This scholarship is for Indigenous leaders and community members to attend the International Funders for Indigenous Peoples (IFIP) conference. It covers registration, flights, hotel, visa fees, meals and insurance.
Deadline: 6 November 2026 · Official page
25. UN Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Peoples 2027
The fund pays travel and a stipend for Indigenous representatives to attend the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (New York) or the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (Geneva).
Deadline: 8 November 2026 · Official application form (OHCHR)
26. Global Investigative Journalism Conference (GIJC) Fellowship 2027
This fellowship is for journalists from the Global South and underrepresented groups to attend GIJC27 in Rotterdam in October 2027. Full fellowships cover flights, four nights’ accommodation, registration and meals.
Deadline: 31 January 2027 · Read our full guide · Official page
Eligibility: What to Check First
- Your country: some programmes are limited to certain countries. For example, the EJN workshops are for Ghana only, and Changemakers for Youth is for Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia.
- Your career stage: student, early-career researcher, mid-career professional or organisation.
- Language: most programmes are in English, and some need French or Spanish.
- Documents: CVs, letters of support or recommendation, work samples and a valid passport for travel programmes.
Benefits
These opportunities offer, between them: fully funded international travel, monthly stipends (up to US$135,000 for JSK), cash prizes from €10,000 to US$500,000, professional training and certification, and global networks of peers and mentors.
How to Apply
- Shortlist 3–5 opportunities that fit your profile and deadlines.
- Open the official page for each one and read the full eligibility rules.
- Prepare your core documents (CV, statement, references and work samples) once, then tailor them for each application.
- Submit before the deadline. Check time zones, since many deadlines use GMT, CET or US time.
Opportunities Not Included (Not Open to Most Africans)
The original list also includes the Global Changemakers Media Impact Academy (US only), the Overseas Press Club Foundation Scholar Awards (North American students), the APFSD Youth Forum (Asia-Pacific), the Chevening British Library Southeast Asian Fellowship (Cambodia, Laos and Thailand), the CFR International Affairs Fellowship in Canada (US citizens), and the Ban Ki-moon Foundation Green Jobs Mentorship (closed 25 October). We left these out.
