The African Poetry Digital Portal Project, funded by a grant from the Andrew Mellon Foundation, invites proposals from scholars and researchers for the African Poetry Digital Humanities Grant. The grants support digital humanities research in African poetry. Applicants are encouraged to make use of the resources of the African Poetry Digital Portal, and in so doing to expand the impact of the portal in the broader community of African digital humanities scholarship.
Given the multifaceted nature of African poetry in terms of regional variance, performative elements, archival and textual complexity and range, and the work of African poetry within the fabric of contemporary and historical societies, proposals should take advantage of the range of possibilities afforded to a scholar in the field of digital humanities. To be considered, projects must use digital research methods or encompass scholarship that applies computing technologies in humanistic inquiry. Most importantly, African poetry must be at the center of the research.

Award

Award amount is $10,000.

Schedule

  • Application deadline: January 23, 2026
  • Grant period: April 2026 to April 2027
  • Application opens: December 1, 2025
  • Application deadline: January 23, 2026
  • Expected notification date: March 2, 2026
  • Project start date: April 2026
  • Project end date: April 2027

Application Review

Applications will be reviewed by scholars in African poetry and researchers in digital humanities. Projects will be judged on their contribution to digital humanities scholarship in African poetry.

Application Requirements

  1. Abstract (300 words maximum)
  2. Project narrative: The narrative should describe the guiding premises of the project clearly, provide a clear overview of the project’s structure (components, personnel, tasks), and describe in concrete terms what the project hopes to accomplish by the end of the 12-month period.
  3. A detailed budget (1 page maximum) including clear explanations for each item and a justification of their importance to the project.
  4. C.V. from the primary researcher. Include relevant examples of previous projects.

Outcomes

All grant recipients will:
  • Work to advance or complete a digital humanities project on African poetry, and make the project or the project details available to be featured on the portal.
  • Complete a critical commentary on the technological and thematic challenge of the project and its effectiveness.
  • Complete a plan for future related work of expansion of the current project.

Submitting Applications

Please review the application requirements in detail on the African Poetry Digital Portal website. Submit all application documents through Submittable. For any questions, contact Rezina Habtemariam, the African Poetry Digital Portal Project Manager, at [email protected].