Overview
The Africa Coalition for Research & Communication on Abortion (ACORCA) is proud to launch its Small Grants Programme to support early-career scholars committed to advancing high-quality, policy-relevant research on abortion in Africa.
This initiative seeks to foster a new generation of African researchers to generate evidence that can inform national and regional strategies to reduce unsafe abortion and promote reproductive justice.
Who is Eligible?
We welcome applications from:
●Early-career researchers who have obtained a PhD within the last five (5) years.
●Current PhD candidates whose degree programmes have advanced to the candidacy or dissertation stage (proof required).
Applicants must be affiliated with a research institution or university based in Africa and must be working on or proposing research related to abortion in Africa.
Grant Amount & Duration
●Grant Value: $2,500 (USD), disbursed in two tranches:
o70% at project start
o30% upon satisfactory progress reporting
●Duration: Up to 6 months
●Scope of Funding:
oPrimary data collection (including travel, field assistants, transcription)
oSecondary data access (e.g. licensing fees)
oAnalysis software subscriptions (e.g. STATA, NVivo, Atlas.ti)
oProduction of report/manuscript.
Note: This grant cannot be used to purchase equipment (laptops, mobile phones, etc.), or for institutional overhead costs.
Mentorship and Support
Each grant recipient will be paired with an ACORCA Advisor, an experienced researcher in the field of abortion or sexual and reproductive health. Candidates will also be required to enlist the mentorship support of an academic or institutional supervisor or advisor at their current institution. Advisors will provide guidance on research design, ethics, fieldwork, analysis and report writing, and dissemination strategies.
Grantees will also gain access to ACORCA’s capacity-strengthening opportunities, including webinars, writing workshops, toolkits and peer review sessions.
Required Application Documents
Applicants must submit the following documents:
1.Completed Application Form (provided by ACORCA)
2.Project Proposal (max. 3 pages), including:
oTitle & abstract
oResearch question(s) & objectives
oMethodology & timeline
oRelevance to abortion research in Africa
oBrief plan for ethical review/approval
3.Detailed Budget (template provided)
4.Curriculum Vitae (CV) (max. 2 pages)
5.Letter of Support from an academic or institutional supervisor
6.Proof of PhD award (for graduates) or proof of candidacy (for students)
Selection Criteria
Applications will be evaluated on the following:
●Relevance and originality of research topic
●Methodological rigor and feasibility
●Potential contribution to abortion policy or practice
●Commitment to disseminating findings
●Geographic, gender, and disciplinary diversity
Timeline
●Call Opens: June 16, 2025
●Deadline for Applications: July 11, 2025
●Notification of Awards: July 28, 2025
●Project Start Date: August 1, 2025
●Project End Date: November 20, 2025