Who/What We Fund

Africa No Filter ONLY accepts proposals from storytellers who are part of the African Narrative Collective, our community of journalists, content creators, artists as well as arts, culture and media organizations who share our mission of telling African stories beyond stereotypes of poverty, disease, conflict, corruption, and poor leadership.

However, we have created a process for potential grantees to self-evaluate if their ideas match our goals, guidelines, and mission if they wish to submit an idea for our consideration.

Please note that we will only respond to ideas reviewed and considered a potential fit. Also note that this is only a brief opportunity to learn about your work and if we decide to go forward, you will be invited to submit a proposal.

Let us know your ideas, if:

1.1. does your work produce, promote, support or amplify:

  • stories/narratives about Africa OUTSIDE the frames of conflict, poverty, disease, corruption and poor leadership?
  • stories that may address any of the above frames but are told with a balanced, ethical, and nuanced approach? (see our Ethical Storytelling Handbook)
  • stories that counter stereotypes and harmful narratives about a country, people group or the entire continent?
  • new and alternative stories (stories on African innovation, agency, influence on the global stage) that feed a more nuanced representation and multiple narratives about the continent?

1.2. You have evidence of previous work that fits the description above.

You can refer to our handbook, Why We Need to Change the Way We Write About Africa, for better understanding about narrative and why it matters.

Community is at the center of everything we do at ANF as our mission is to build an ecosystem of narrative changemakers on the continent. To this end, we only fund members of the African Narrative Collective; our community of journalists, content creators, artists, as well as arts, culture, media and advocacy organizations that care about how the world sees Africa and how Africans see themselves. Apply here to join the African Narrative Collective. Please note that ONLY storytellers and organizations with a track record of telling African stories beyond stereotypes by reflecting a dynamic, creative, innovative and evolving continent will be accepted into the African Narrative Collective. We encourage you to engage with our Research,  Story Tools, Newsletters, and Advocacy to get a better sense of our work

3.1. You’re African based on the continent or in the diaspora.

3.2. Your work is focused on storytelling that falls within these four broad categories:

Arts and Culture: We prioritize creative expressions that strongly influence pop-culture. As a result, we offer grants to:

  • Arts and Culture platforms that: build communities and provide networking opportunities; provide opportunities to build skills and resources; platform and showcase the works of creatives. Examples include Festivals; Hubs; Museums and Galleries; Residencies and Fellowship spaces for creatives.
  • Creative practitioners including the Filmmakers, Writers, Visual and Contemporary artists, and Performing artists.

 Media: We Media grants to:

  • Media organizations that platform, showcase, train, network and amplify storytellers, such as Hubs, Festivals and Academies/Institutions.
  • Traditional and New media practitioners including journalists, editors, freelancers, podcasters and bloggers/vloggers.

Content Creation for new media:

  • Content creators producing original content for an engaged and wide audience on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter/ x.com
  • Organizations that platform enable and showcase these creators.

 Advocacy: We give advocacy grants to:

  • Organizations and platforms in Africa and the diaspora who create opportunities to advocate better representation of Africa through campaigns, festivals, events, convenings, etc.
  • Academic and research institutions working on research projects that provide evidence for narrative shifting campaigns and advocacy.
  • Individuals or organizations focused on the development of tools – courses, resources, etc. that equip storytellers to tell stories better and tell better stories about Africa.

See our Grant Categorization here for a better breakdown of these categories and to ensure you’re a proper fit.

We do NOT fund trips, theater productions, scholarships or personal academic projects, and purchase of equipment (computers, cameras, microphones, etc).

Grant Types

Our grants are broadly of two types:

1.1. Project Support Grants

Project Support Grants support the development and delivery of nuanced, contemporary stories and creative projects on the continent by storytellers who are using art, pop culture, narrative media, innovation, digital platforms, tech and creativity to challenge stereotypical narratives about Africa. Project support grants must be for a specific project with a clear start and end date and project milestones. The grants are awarded to strengthen platforms, projects and initiatives and empower them to create more content that presents alternative views of Africa. They are awarded to applicants based on the strength of their project proposal, with priority on applicants who are using the grant to expand on or scale up an on-going or regularly executed project. The main outcome of project-based grants is that a wider audience is reached, whether online or in person. Grants are worth up to $10,000.

1.2. Kekere Storytellers Fund

The Kekere Storytellers Fund offers microgrants to exceptional emerging artists, journalists and content creators on the continent and the diaspora, who are doing ground-breaking work and creatively challenging harmful narratives within their local and digital communities using art, media and pop culture. The Kekere Storytellers Fund ensures that ANF reaches and supports emerging narrative changemakers and storytellers on the ground and not just well-established storytellers. Grants are worth between $500 and $3000.

1.3. Last Mile Film Fund

This fund is open to filmmakers in the continent and the diaspora. It supports narrative-changing films that are in the final stages of production. Films must have appealing storylines that challenge stereotypical narratives of Africa and advocate for Better Representation of the African continent. The fund offers grants of up to $10,000 for feature-length films and up to $5,000 for short films.

2.1. Operational Support Grants

Operational Support Grants are awarded to organizations within the arts, culture, content, media and advocacy sectors who are supporting contemporary and empowering narratives of Africa through programme delivery, job creation, residences, networking opportunities and skills building for creatives, artists, journalists on the continent. Operational support grants are for narrative change organizations and platforms, media houses, festivals, galleries, digital platforms etc and can be used to support operating costs of mission-aligned organizations. The grants are worth up to $15,000.

2.2. Capacity Building Grants

Capacity Building grants are awarded to organizations within the arts, culture, media, content creation and advocacy sectors who are focused on strengthening other organizations’ infrastructure, management and governance, training and building the competences of individuals within the sector, enabling them to be more effective and sustainable. Grants are worth up to $15,000.