ACSL School Leadership Research Grants 2026 – Funded Opportunities for African Researchers
The African Centre for School Leadership (ACSL), in partnership with Education Sub-Saharan Africa (ESSA), the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), and VVOB – Education for Development, with funding from the Mastercard Foundation, invites researchers across Africa to apply for the ACSL School Leadership Research Grants 2026. These grants aim to support high-quality, context-specific, and policy-relevant research on school leadership, to strengthen educational quality, equity, and system resilience across the continent.
Applications are open to Tanzanian researchers as well as researchers from other eligible African countries, offering both Descriptive Action Research Grants (up to USD 15,000) and Comparative Action Research Grants (up to USD 35,000).
Background and Purpose of the Grants
School leadership has been recognized as a critical driver of educational quality, equity, and systemic resilience. However, research in Africa remains limited, fragmented, and underfunded, making it difficult to generate actionable insights that inform policy and practice.
The ACSL School Leadership Research Grants aim to:
- Strengthen local research capacity by directly supporting African education researchers.
- Produce new, context-specific evidence to guide school leadership policies and practices.
- Encourage collaboration between early-career researchers, women researchers, practitioners, and institutions.
- Promote the generation of policy-relevant insights to strengthen education systems across Africa.
This initiative builds on previous ACSL projects, including the Leaders in Teaching (LIT) model and the Foundation Phase Project (2023–2024), which spanned Rwanda, Kenya, and Ghana, focusing on gender and inclusive leadership practices.
Who Can Apply?
Eligibility Criteria
For Tanzanian Researchers
- Citizenship/Residency: Tanzanian citizens based in Tanzania (Mainland or Zanzibar).
- Institutional Affiliation: Ideally, a PhD holder affiliated with a Tanzanian university, research institution, government ministry, or other recognized research organization.
- Exceptional Cases: Experienced researchers without a PhD (e.g., postdoctoral researchers, senior research fellows, or consultants with extensive experience) may also apply.
- Collaboration & Inclusion: Proposals that include early-career researchers, women researchers, practitioners (head teachers or middle-tier educators), and/or geographic diversity are strongly encouraged.
- Research Alignment: Must align with ACSL priority school leadership themes (instructional leadership, ICT integration, inclusion and equity, effective leadership models, and partnerships/collaboration).
For Other African Countries
- Citizenship/Residency: African citizens based in Africa. Priority given to researchers from Kenya, Ghana, Rwanda, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Malawi.
- Institutional Affiliation: PhD holders affiliated with African universities, research institutions, ministries of education, or other recognized research organizations.
- Exceptional Cases: Experienced researchers without a PhD may apply if they demonstrate a strong research track record.
- Collaboration & Inclusion: Proposals should demonstrate collaboration with early-career researchers, women, and practitioners. Geographic diversity is encouraged.
- Research Alignment: Must align with ACSL priority themes including leadership preparation, Afrocentric leadership models, equity and inclusion, EdTech, teacher outcomes, systemic enablers, distributed leadership, and leadership in emergencies.
Grant Details
Funding Modalities
- Descriptive Action Research Grants
- Up to USD 15,000 per grant
- Duration: 12 months
- For small-scale or individual research projects
- Focus: Observing and describing school leadership practices without comparing interventions
- Comparative Action Research Grants
- Up to USD 35,000 per grant
- Duration: 24 months
- For larger-scale research, applied studies, or institutional collaborations
- Focus: Comparing approaches or interventions to determine effective school leadership practices
Grant Coverage
- Researcher time (with specified level of effort and rates)
- Research materials and supplies
- Data collection and analysis
- Travel and collaboration-related costs
- Dissemination and stakeholder engagement activities
Note: Co-funding from other sources is allowed but ACSL funds should not duplicate pre-existing funding. Overhead costs are not supported.
Research Priorities
Tanzania
- Instructional Leadership: Balancing pedagogy and administration; leadership for Competency-Based Curriculum implementation; improving teacher performance.
- ICT Integration in School Leadership: Digital tools for management, communication, and instructional oversight.
- Inclusion & Equity: Women, rural leaders, persons with disabilities; geographic and cultural disparities.
- Best Practices & Models of Effective Leadership: Documenting successful cases, teacher satisfaction, professional development, and autonomy.
- Partnerships & Collaborations: Distributed leadership models and government-CSO-university collaboration.
Other African Countries
- Leadership preparation and development pathways (gendered dynamics included)
- Afrocentric leadership models and knowledge systems
- Equity, inclusion, and social justice in leadership practice
- Leadership in digital transformation and EdTech
- Influence on teacher practice and learning outcomes
- System enablers (policy, accountability, autonomy, financing, networks)
- Distributed leadership, including middle leadership, student leadership, and district-level instructional leadership
- School leadership in emergencies/crises
Application Requirements
Applicants must submit:
- Cover Letter (max 500 words)
- Introduce the lead researcher and team
- Motivation and potential impact of the research
- Research Proposal (max 2000 words, excluding references, timelines, appendices)
- Title of project
- Problem definition and context
- Purpose, research questions, and objectives
- Methodology (approach, design, data collection, sampling, analysis)
- Ethics and approvals
- Significance of research
- Timeline (tasks, reporting, dissemination)
- Budget Proposal
- Detailed using ACSL Budget Template
- Specify researcher time, data collection, travel, dissemination
- Collaborations
- List collaborators using ACSL template with consent
- Curriculum Vitae
- Lead researcher: max 3 pages
- Other applicants: max 2 pages each
- References
- Two references confirming lead applicant’s research capability
Application Process
- Complete the ACSL Research Grants Application Form
- Upload all required documents
- Submit before January 11th, 2026 at 11:59 pm GMT
- Attend information webinar: December 2nd, 2025, 3:00–4:30 pm EAT / 12:00–1:30 pm GMT
- Review, scoring, and selection: Rolling, with award notifications in March 2026
- Orientation for grantees: April 2026
Evaluation Criteria
Applications are assessed on:
- Alignment with priority research themes
- Eligibility compliance
- Clarity, rigor, and feasibility of methodology
- Policy and practice impact potential
- Research team qualifications and experience
- Budget justification and feasibility
- Realism of research timeline
Key Dates
| Activity | Timeline |
|---|---|
| Call Announcement | November 2025 |
| Information Webinar | December 2nd, 2025 |
| Application Deadline | January 11th, 2026 |
| Preliminary Review | January 2026 |
| Proposal Review & Scoring | February 2026 |
| Final Selection | March 2026 |
| Grantee Orientation | April 2026 |
| Research Implementation (Descriptive Action Research) | Apr 2026 – Mar 2027 |
| Research Implementation (Comparative Action Research) | Apr 2026 – Mar 2029 |
| Reporting & Dissemination | From April 2027 onwards |
The ACSL School Leadership Research Grants 2026 provide a unique opportunity for African researchers to generate policy-relevant, locally grounded evidence that strengthens school leadership, informs reforms, and improves education outcomes continent-wide. Researchers in Tanzania and other eligible African countries are encouraged to submit robust proposals aligned with ACSL priority themes, fostering equitable, inclusive, and effective educational systems across Africa.
Apply today and contribute to shaping the future of African education leadership!
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