Deadline: October 31, 2025
Are you a researcher based in Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, or Zambia? Applications are now open for the Education Sub-Saharan Africa (ESSA) Research Grants on Foundational Learning 2025. Up to $15,000 is given to support research that strengthens Foundational Learning (FL) and helps shape education policy and practice.
These grants are part of Phase 2 of Education Sub Saharan Africa (ESSA) and Research for Equitable Access and Learning (REAL) Centre’s Foundational Learning Project, building on the success of Phase 1 to further strengthen the capacity of FL researchers across sub-Saharan Africa to inform education policy and practice.
This initiative is supported by the Gates Foundation and the Global Partnership for Education Knowledge and Innovation Exchange.
Grants
- Up to four grants will be awarded per country to individual researchers or groups of researchers, valued at up to $15,000. These grants will cover direct research expenses (e.g. researcher time), research materials, data collection, designing of reports, travel for collaboration meetings and dissemination efforts.
Eligibility
Applicants for these grants must meet the following criteria:
- Be Ghanaian, Kenyan, Senegalese, or Zambian citizens currently based in Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, or Zambia respectively.
- The lead applicant should have a PhD and be working in a university, research institution, or government department/ministry in Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, or Zambia.
- Proposed research must focus on an area(s) identified in the individual country calls.
- The application and the submission of the research report should be in English or French (in the case of Senegal).
Application
Apply today and join other researchers shaping the future of Foundational Learning in Africa:
For more information, visit ESSA Research Grants.
