African Centre for School Leadership Grants 2026: Apply for Up to $35,000 in School Leadership Research Funding

The African Centre for School Leadership (ACSL), in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, has announced a new call for applications for its Cohort II School Leadership Research Grants, providing African education researchers with an opportunity to secure funding for action-oriented research focused on strengthening school leadership and improving learning outcomes across the continent.

The 2026 ACSL grants will support researchers undertaking descriptive and comparative action research addressing critical challenges in school leadership across African education systems. A total of 23 researchers will be supported through the initiative, with individual grants worth up to US$15,000 for descriptive action research and up to US$35,000 for comparative action research.

The programme is designed not only to fund research but also to ensure that research findings translate into practical improvements in schools, education policy and education systems. Successful researchers will have opportunities to work with policymakers, practitioners, school leaders and implementing institutions throughout their research journey.

Applications are open to eligible researchers from all African countries, with proposals particularly encouraged to address issues such as gender equality, disability inclusion, rural and underserved communities, and other marginalised groups.

Overview of the ACSL School Leadership Research Grants

The African Centre for School Leadership is seeking researchers who are passionate about generating evidence that can strengthen school leadership practices and contribute to improved educational outcomes in Africa.

The grants are intended to support rigorous, action-oriented research rather than research that remains solely academic. Applicants are expected to demonstrate how their research can contribute to solving real-world school leadership challenges and how relevant stakeholders will be involved in the research process.

The initiative will support two different categories of research:

1. Descriptive Action Research Grants
2. Comparative Action Research Grants

Together, these grants will provide funding for 23 researchers across Africa.

1. Descriptive Action Research Grants

The ACSL will award 16 Descriptive Action Research Grants, with each grant providing funding of up to US$15,000.

These grants are designed for research conducted within one educational context over a period of 12 months.

A descriptive action research project could, for example, examine school leadership practices, challenges, policies or interventions within a particular country, education system, region, district or other defined educational context.

The research should ultimately generate evidence that can be used by education stakeholders to strengthen school leadership and improve educational outcomes.

Key details

• Number of grants: 16
• Maximum funding: US$15,000 per grant
• Research duration: 12 months
• Research scope: One educational context
• Research approach: Action research
• Geographic eligibility: African countries

2. Comparative Action Research Grants

The second category consists of seven Comparative Action Research Grants.

Each successful applicant/team can receive up to US$35,000 to conduct research across two or more educational contexts.

These grants will run for a longer period of 24 months, allowing researchers to investigate school leadership issues comparatively across different settings.

Comparative research can provide valuable insights into similarities and differences in school leadership practices, policies and outcomes across countries or other educational contexts.

Key details

• Number of grants: 7
• Maximum funding: US$35,000 per grant
• Research duration: 24 months
• Research scope: Two or more educational contexts
• Research approach: Comparative action research
• Geographic eligibility: African countries

What Is the Main Purpose of the ACSL Research Grants?

The ACSL School Leadership Research Grants are intended to address some of the challenges affecting school leadership across Africa while ensuring that research produces practical value for education systems.

The programme seeks to support research that can:

• Generate evidence on school leadership challenges in Africa.
• Strengthen school leadership practices.
• Contribute to improved learning outcomes.
• Inform education policy.
• Support education practitioners and school leaders.
• Strengthen education systems.
• Encourage collaboration between researchers and practitioners.
• Connect research findings with policymakers.
• Promote evidence-based decision-making.
• Address challenges affecting underserved communities.
• Contribute to national and continental education priorities.

Rather than separating researchers from the people who implement education policies and manage schools, the programme encourages meaningful engagement between researchers, policymakers, practitioners and school leaders.

Research Must Use an Action-Research Approach

One of the important requirements of the call is that proposals must adopt an action-research approach.

Applicants should therefore ensure that their proposed research is designed to investigate real challenges while also contributing to practical improvements.

The research should demonstrate meaningful collaboration with relevant stakeholders, particularly:

• Policymakers
• Education practitioners
• School leaders
• Implementing institutions
• Other relevant education stakeholders

This approach is intended to ensure that research findings do not simply remain in academic publications but can contribute to improvements in policy and practice.

Strong Encouragement for Inclusive Research

The ACSL is particularly encouraging proposals that take into account issues affecting groups that may experience barriers or disadvantages within education systems.

Proposals addressing the following areas are strongly encouraged:

Gender equality

Researchers can explore school leadership challenges and opportunities through a gender perspective, including issues affecting women’s participation and leadership in education.

Disability inclusion

Research focusing on inclusive school leadership and education systems that better serve people with disabilities is also encouraged.

Rural and underserved communities

Applicants are encouraged to consider the realities of schools and communities that may have limited access to resources, leadership capacity or educational opportunities.

Marginalised groups

Research addressing the challenges faced by other marginalised populations is also encouraged under the programme.

The call therefore presents an opportunity for researchers to develop studies that address both school leadership and broader equity and inclusion challenges in African education.

Who Can Apply for the ACSL Grants?

The opportunity is open to researchers who meet specific eligibility requirements.

Applicants must satisfy the geographic, academic, research-team and methodological requirements established by the African Centre for School Leadership.

1. Applicants must be African citizens

Applicants must be citizens of an African country.

The applicant must also be based in Africa.

The proposed research must focus on school leadership practice in one or multiple African countries.

This means the programme is specifically designed to strengthen African-led research on African education systems.

2. The Principal Investigator must hold a doctorate

A particularly important eligibility requirement concerns the Principal Investigator.

The Principal Investigator must hold a Doctorate in one of the following areas:

• Education
• Educational Leadership
• Educational Management
• A closely related field

The doctorate must have been earned within the past five years.

Applicants should therefore carefully consider the date on which the Principal Investigator obtained their doctoral degree when determining eligibility.

3. Proposals must have multidisciplinary teams

Applications cannot simply be built around a single researcher.

Proposals must include multidisciplinary research teams consisting of three to five members.

This requirement encourages applicants to bring together researchers with different areas of expertise and perspectives.

A strong multidisciplinary team can potentially provide expertise across areas such as education, leadership, policy, research methodology, management, inclusion and other relevant fields.

Diversity Within Research Teams

The ACSL strongly encourages applicants to build diverse research teams.

In particular, research teams are encouraged to include:

• Female researchers
• Young researchers under the age of 35
• Researchers with different educational backgrounds
• Researchers holding bachelor’s degrees
• Researchers holding master’s degrees
• Doctoral researchers or candidates

This emphasis on diversity is intended to broaden perspectives within research teams and provide opportunities for researchers at different stages of their academic and professional development.

Cross-Country Collaboration Is Encouraged

Applicants conducting research across multiple African countries are also encouraged to consider cross-country collaboration.

This is particularly relevant to applicants interested in the Comparative Action Research Grants, which support research across two or more educational contexts.

Cross-country research can provide opportunities to compare:

• School leadership models
• Education policies
• Leadership practices
• Institutional structures
• Challenges facing school leaders
• Approaches to improving learning outcomes
• Strategies for addressing educational inequality

Researchers interested in comparative research should therefore consider how collaboration across different African education systems can strengthen the proposed study.

What Happens Beyond the Grant Funding?

The opportunity provides more than financial support.

Successful researchers will become part of the School Leadership Community of Learning.

They will also participate in the Blended Exchange and Learning Trajectory (BELT).

This means successful applicants will have an opportunity to engage with a broader community of researchers and education stakeholders working on school leadership issues.

Participation in these activities can potentially help researchers:

• Exchange knowledge with other African researchers.
• Learn from different school leadership experiences.
• Share research findings.
• Build professional connections.
• Engage with education stakeholders.
• Strengthen the practical relevance of their research.
• Contribute to a wider evidence base on school leadership in Africa.

The community element is therefore an important part of the programme beyond the direct research funding.

Information Webinar for Prospective Applicants

The African Centre for School Leadership will organise an information webinar for prospective applicants.

The webinar is intended to provide guidance on important aspects of the application process, including:

• Application procedures
• Eligibility criteria
• Grant expectations
• Other relevant information for prospective applicants

Webinar date and time

Date: 20 August 2026

Time: 12:00–1:30 pm GMT

East Africa Time: 3:00–4:30 pm EAT

Prospective applicants are encouraged to participate in the webinar to gain a better understanding of the grant requirements before submitting their applications.

Application Deadline

Applicants must submit their applications before the stated deadline.

Deadline: Wednesday, 30 September 2026 at 11:59 pm GMT.

Researchers should avoid waiting until the final hours to submit their applications. Preparing a strong research proposal, assembling a multidisciplinary team and ensuring that all eligibility requirements are satisfied can take considerable time.

Prospective applicants should therefore begin preparing early.

 APPLY HERE 

For more information about this webinar, visit ACSL website HERE

For more research grants opportunities visit OFY Website HERE

How to Prepare a Strong Application

Although the call is specifically designed for experienced researchers, applicants should carefully align their proposals with the objectives and requirements of the programme.

A strong application should clearly demonstrate:

1. A relevant school leadership problem

The research should address a meaningful challenge relating to school leadership in an African education context.

Applicants should clearly explain the problem being investigated and why it matters.

2. A clear action-research methodology

The proposal should demonstrate how the research will use an action-oriented approach and how the findings can contribute to improvements in practice.

3. Meaningful stakeholder collaboration

Applicants should demonstrate how policymakers, practitioners, school leaders and/or implementing institutions will meaningfully participate in the research.

4. A qualified research team

The proposed team should consist of three to five multidisciplinary members, with the Principal Investigator meeting the specified doctoral qualification and five-year requirement.

5. Practical relevance

Applicants should clearly explain how the research can contribute to:

• Education policy
• School leadership practice
• Learning outcomes
• Education systems
• National education priorities
• Continental education priorities

6. Inclusion and diversity

Where relevant, applicants should consider integrating issues such as:

• Gender equality
• Disability inclusion
• Rural education
• Underserved communities
• Marginalised groups

7. Appropriate research scope

Applicants should select the grant category that corresponds to the scope of their research.

A project conducted in one educational context over 12 months would align with the descriptive research category, while a study covering two or more educational contexts over 24 months would align with the comparative research category.

Grant Summary at a Glance

Feature	Details
Programme	ACSL Cohort II School Leadership Research Grants
Organisation	African Centre for School Leadership
Partner	Mastercard Foundation
Opportunity type	Research grants
Total researchers supported	23
Descriptive grants	16
Descriptive grant value	Up to US$15,000
Descriptive research duration	12 months
Comparative grants	7
Comparative grant value	Up to US$35,000
Comparative research duration	24 months
Eligible countries	All African countries
Principal Investigator	Must hold a relevant doctorate earned within the past 5 years
Team size	3–5 members
Research approach	Action research
Webinar	20 August 2026
Application deadline	30 September 2026, 11:59 pm GMT

Why This Opportunity Matters for African Education Researchers

School leadership plays a significant role in the effectiveness of education systems. Strong school leaders can contribute to better management, stronger teaching environments, improved organisational performance and better outcomes for learners.

However, education systems across Africa face different leadership challenges depending on their national, regional and local contexts.

Research that identifies these challenges and generates practical evidence can help policymakers and practitioners make better-informed decisions.

The ACSL grants therefore provide an opportunity for African researchers to contribute directly to the evidence base surrounding school leadership while receiving financial support for conducting their studies.

The programme’s emphasis on collaboration is particularly important because research findings are more likely to have practical value when researchers work directly with the people responsible for implementing education policies and leading schools.

Conclusion

The African Centre for School Leadership Cohort II School Leadership Research Grants provide a significant research funding opportunity for African education researchers interested in strengthening school leadership and improving learning outcomes across the continent.

With 16 descriptive grants worth up to US$15,000 each and seven comparative grants worth up to US$35,000 each, the programme will support 23 researchers undertaking action-oriented research over periods of 12 or 24 months.

The opportunity is open to eligible researchers from all African countries, but applicants must meet specific requirements. In particular, the Principal Investigator must be an African citizen based in Africa and hold a doctorate in education, educational leadership, educational management or a closely related discipline earned within the past five years. Proposals must also involve multidisciplinary teams of three to five members and use an action-research approach.

Researchers whose work addresses gender equality, disability inclusion, rural and underserved communities, marginalised groups and other important education challenges are strongly encouraged to apply.

With the application deadline set for Wednesday, 30 September 2026 at 11:59 pm GMT, eligible researchers should begin preparing their teams and proposals early and consider participating in the 20 August 2026 information webinar for additional guidance.