FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 22, 2026
Contact: Alix Saba, Executive Director, asaed@africanstudies.org
PDF Press Release for Distribution: HERE
African Studies Association Announces 2026 Grant and Stipend Winners
PISCATAWAY, New Jersey, – The African Studies Association is honored to announce its annual grants and stipends which support essential research, professional development, and programs in the field of African studies.
The Junior Scholar Professional Development Grant, established 2025 by the Board of Directors under the Directors’ Fund, supports junior scholar members at U.S. institutions pursuing professional development opportunities. Funds are awarded to competitively selected junior scholars to facilitate conference attendance, research travel, workshop or event attendance, language immersion, or other professional development opportunities.
The 2026 Junior Scholar Professional Development Grantees are Christian Alvarado (San José State University), Robin Crigler (Glenville State University), Jacqueline Georgis (College of the Holy Cross), and Bryan Kauma (Southwestern University).
****
The Mahmoud Mohamed Taha Student Travel Award facilitates research, study abroad, and/or travel to present research at the ASA Annual Meeting. The award was established in 2023 by a generous gift from Dr. Steve Howard and is named in honor of Sudanese author, activist, and intellectual Mahmoud Mohamed Taha (1909-1985). The award was expanded in 2024 and again in 2025 thanks to generous gifts from Dr. Steve Howard.
The ten recipients of the 2026 Mahmoud Mohamed Taha Student Travel Award are: Abiodun Ademiluwa (Emory University), Abisola Beatrice Akinsiku (University of Kansas, Lawrence), Jane Mango Angar (University of California, Berkeley), Ambachew Anjulo (Howard University), Fatihat Adebola Awodirepo (The University of Alabama), Aishat Babatunde (University of Georgia), Ebenezer Mintah Danquah (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Phil Geraldin Mpesse Atangana (The University of Alabama), Hubert Takyi (Mississippi State University), and Chidinma Udechukwu (Johns Hopkins University).
****
Established in 2017, the ASA Advocacy Travel Grant provides travel support to ASA member constituents to facilitate their attendance at federal advocacy events in Washington, DC each spring. The ASA believes it is critical for our members to be represented at advocacy events, and for the voices of the field of African Studies to be heard by representatives on the Hill as they prepare to make key decisions about funding for international education, the humanities, social sciences, and higher education as a whole.
The 2026 ASA Advocacy Travel Grantees are Christian Alvarado (San José State University), Margaret Asho (Indiana University), Trishula Patel (University of Denver), Womai Song (Earlham College), and Doreen Siilo (University of Kansas).
****
Established in 2017, the ASA Coordinate and Affiliate Organization Micro Grants are designed to support events or projects organized by ASA Coordinate and Affiliate Organizations during the calendar year. Each year, the ASA awards two Coordinate Organizations and two Affiliate Organizations.
The 2026 ASA Coordinate and Affiliate Organization Micro Grantees are the African Literature Association, CongoResearchNetwork, Central African Studies Association and Congolese Studies Association, and Ghana Studies Association.
****
The ASA’s Gretchen Walsh Book Donation Award is awarded in partnership with the Africana Librarians Council and offers an annual grant to support shipping costs to send books and materials to African libraries and schools.
The 2026 Gretchen Walsh Book Donation Award recipients are the Adu Boahen Memorial Library and Archive, University of Ghana, for a project facilitated by Cyrelene Amoah-Boampong and Jean Allman, and the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Zanzibar, Tanzania, for a project facilitated by Mshauri A. Khamis and Hope K. McCoy.
****
The Robertson Engagement Grants supports first time Annual Meeting attendee graduate students and junior faculty with an interest in engaging the ASA Women’s Caucus. Established in 2025, the Robertson Engagement Grant was made possible by a generous gift from Dr. Claire Robertson through the establishment of the Robertson Fund. Robertson Engagement Grants expand support for emerging and underfunded scholars in the field of African Studies and provide access to ASA’s resources and career advancing networking opportunities.
The 2026 Robertson Engagement Grantees are Kevin Aggrey (Ohio University), Sandra Boateng (University of Cincinnati), Lucia Edafioka (Vanderbilt University), Mfon-Abasi Obong (Louisiana State University), Patience Odeh (University of Connecticut), and Ami Tamakloe (Cornell University).
****
Established in 2025, the Student Volunteer Attendance Stipend was made possible by a generous gift from Dr. Claire Robertson through the establishment of the Robertson Fund. The stipend will engage up to two local student volunteers who will support the ASA Women’s Caucus Marketplace during the ASA Annual Meeting.
The 2026 Student Volunteer Attendance Stipend awardees are Charlotte Berg (Loyola University, New Orleans) and Zanya Colbert (Xavier University of Louisiana).
****
Established in 2009 by the ASA Women’s Caucus, the Penny Schwartz Student Travel Grant supports travel for a current student attending the ASA Annual Meeting. The Grant was made possible by a generous bequest from Dr. Nancy Schwartz and gifts from Drs. Judith Van Allen, Mary Osirim, Nwando Achebe, and Anita and Derrick Plummer. This award honors Nancy “Penny” Schwartz, an active ASA and Women’s Caucus member, and celebrates her legacy of student mentorship.
The 2026 Penny Schwartz Student Travel Grantee is Sasha Rai (University of the Witwatersrand).
****
Established in 2025, the ASA Dependent Care Grant supports dependent care costs for ASA members attending the Annual Meeting. The grant was made possible by a generous gift from Dr. Claire Robertson through the establishment of the Robertson Fund. The grant realizes a founding goal of the ASA Women’s Caucus in 1970, as stated in the Resolutions on the Status of Women.
In 2026, ASA awarded six ASA Dependent Care Grants to ASA members.
****
Established in 2024, the ASA Film Festival Attendance Stipend was made possible by a generous gift from Dr. Kenneth W. Harrow and Elizabeth W. Harrow through the establishment of the Ken Harrow ASA Film Fund. The stipend supports travel for ASR Film Review Editors to author new ASR film reviews or Film Prize Committee Members to consider films for the award.
In 2026, the ASA Film Festival Attendance Stipend was awarded to Peter Limbrick (University of California, Santa Cruz).
