The STEM Prize aims to encourage young Cameroonians and other Africans, especially girls and young women, to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Applications are invited from teams of three to five persons who submit a project that has the greatest potential to positively improve their communities. Applicants must be between the ages of 13 and 21 and be citizens in one of the following countries: Cameroon, Chad, Central Africa Republic, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, or Gabon. The top teams will be invited to the foundation’s headquarters in Yaoundé to participate in a 3-day workshop focusing on research, career guidance, and project implementation. Cash prizes will be awarded totaling 5 million FCFA (approximately US$10 thousand). The deadline for applications (English, French) is 31 July 2016. Link
Africa
U.S. Department of State — Marine Protected Areas and Ocean Conservation
The U.S. Department of State will fund projects in marine protected areas and reduced nutrient pollution affecting coastal waters. Grants in Category 1 will strengthen compliance capacity for marine protected areas in the Bahamas, Belize, Honduras, and Panama. Grants in Category 2 will fund projects to more effectively manage marine protected areas in Comoros, Djibouti, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Somalia, and Tanzania. Grants in Category 3 will aim to reduce nutrient pollution in waterways, coastal waters, and the ocean. Applications are accepted from non-profit organizations and educational institutions in the USA and other countries, and from public international organizations. Funding Opportunity OES-OTI-16-005. The closing date for applications is 01 August 2016. Link
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation — Advancing Geospatial Data in Africa
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation seeks to invest in an organization that will advance the quality, completeness, and sustainability of geospatial data in Africa. This organization will serve as a strategic grant maker, capacity builder, and effectively coordinate with others working in mapping and data on the continent. Applicant organizations should be ideally based in Africa. If headquartered elsewhere, the applying organization must have a strong presence and/or offices in Africa. The deadline for sending qualifications statements is 05 August 2016. Link
MEETAfrica — Supporting Young African Entrepreneurs
MEETAfrica is a program to help Africans who have diplomas at European universities to establish innovative enterprises for agriculture, industry, and services in their home countries. The current call is for recent university graduates and early-career researchers from Algeria, Cameroon, Mali, Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia who are currently resident in France or Germany. Candidates should be less than 35 years old and have a masters, doctorate, or post-doctorate. The deadline for applications is 15 September 2016. Link
University of Florida — Research on Livestock in Ethiopia, Nepal, and Rwanda
With funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development, the University of Florida manages the Feed the Future Livestock Systems Innovation Lab as a five-year program of research to improve the nutrition, health, and incomes of the poor through increased livestock productivity and the marketing and consumption of animal-source foods. The program seeks to upgrade technologies, management practices, skills, knowledge, capacity, inputs across livestock value chains, and policy environments that foster sustainable intensification and increased profitability of smallholder livestock systems. The focus countries are Ethiopia, Nepal, and Rwanda. Participation is open to qualified universities, institutes, and other organizations in the target countries, USA, and elsewhere. The program will fund research grants up to US$1 million, and focus grants up to US$100 thousand. The deadline for research concept notes is 23 June 2016. Link
Finland Ministry for Foreign Affairs — University Collaboration, Finland with Developing Countries
Finland funds the Higher Education Institutions Institutional Cooperation Instrument to support collaboration between higher education institutions in Finland and partner universities in developing countries. All subject areas are relevant. Grants will range from £300 thousand to £700 thousand, up to 80% of total project costs, for up to three years. The partner countries of highest priority are Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Somalia, Tanzania, and Zambia. However, the program is open to partners in additional low and middle-income countries (details are provided in the announcement). The deadline for submitting proposals is 04 October 2016. Link
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) — RONPAKU Fellowships for PhD Students 2017
The RONPAKU fellowships are a program of the JSPS to support students from Asia, the Middle East, and Africa to pursue PhD degrees from Japanese universities. Each fellow submits a research dissertation co-supervised by an advisor in Japan and an advisor in the fellow’s home country. The fellows do not pursue doctoral courses in Japan (i.e., dissertation only). RONPAKU will award about 20 fellowships across all subject areas. The application deadline is 24 August 2016 for submissions to RONPAKU from Japanese universities; applicants need to send their documents to their prospective Japanese advisors in advance of this deadline. Link
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) — Livelihoods for Resilience in Ethiopia
USAID in Addis Ababa requests applications from qualified and eligible organizations to manage and implement the activity, “Feed the Future Ethiopia Livelihoods for Resilience.” The program aims to improve Ethiopia’s crop and livestock market systems; increase off-farm economic diversification; expand employment generation; and promote learning and adaptation. USAID intends to award US$60 million to the program over five years. All types of organizations are eligible to apply. Funding Opportunity RFA-663-16-000008. The application deadline is 25 July 2016. Link
Earth Journalism Network — Reporting on Environment and Development in the Congo Basin
The Earth Journalism Network announces grants funding for news stories about environment and development in the Congo Basin. These stories will be published on the platform InfoCongo.org. Subject areas may include illegal timber and wildlife trade; the impact of climate change on Congo forests; social and environmental impacts of projects for gas and minerals, roads and ports, industrial zones, and other infrastructure; and examples of best policies and practices of sustainable investment and project development. The program will make grants in the range of US$1,500 to US$5,000 to support the selected reporters. Applicants must be working as a journalist or studying in a journalism program. Preference is for applicants based in a country of the Congo Basin, and/or applicants who can demonstrate that their news stories will positively influence development in the Congo region. The deadline for proposals (English, French) is 30 June 2016. Link
FIRE Africa — ICT for African Development
The Fund for Internet Research and Development (FIRE Africa) promotes innovative online solutions to Africa’s needs in education, information, infrastructure, and communication. FIRE Africa can support any project that makes use of ICT to solve problems in the field. For example, previous winners include several organizations working in agriculture. Eligibility to apply extends to private and public organizations in Sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa. Grants are up to US$25 thousand for periods of 12-16 months. The application deadline is 31 May 2016. Link