Updated: August 26, 2026 | Reading time: 5 min | Written by: StudyTribune Team
The Africa-China Initiative Postdoctoral Fellowship (ACI) is a joint program between Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service and Howard University’s Center for African Studies, offering a fully funded year-long research fellowship in Washington, DC. Here’s the honest situation: we can confirm the fellowship ran for the 2024-2025 academic year, but we could not find any announcement of a new cycle since then. If you’re interested in this fellowship, verify its current status directly with the program before making plans — here’s what’s confirmed, and how to check.
What’s Confirmed
- The fellowship successfully ran for the 2024-2025 academic year, with a fellow in residence at both Georgetown and Howard.
- The Africa-China Initiative, as an organization, remains active — it has hosted public events and talks into 2025.
- The fellowship was funded through a Henry Luce Foundation grant to the ACI, administered by Georgetown.
What’s Unclear
We could not find any call for applications for a 2025-2026 or 2026-2027 cycle. This doesn’t necessarily mean the fellowship has ended — grant-funded academic fellowships sometimes pause between cycles, run on an irregular schedule, or simply haven’t published a new call yet — but it does mean the December 2023 deadline you may see referenced elsewhere is well out of date, and there’s no confirmed next deadline to plan around.
Before you invest time preparing an application, contact the program directly:
- Dr. Yoon Jung Park, Program Director of ACI: yp114@georgetown.edu
- Georgetown’s African Studies Program news page and Howard’s Center for African Studies site are the most likely places a new call would be announced
What Africa-China Initiative Postdoctoral Fellowship Offered (2024-2025 Cycle)
If a future cycle follows the same structure, here’s what was previously offered — useful as a reference, not a guarantee of identical terms:
- Duration: One academic year, with at least 10 months in residence in the Washington, DC area, split consecutively between one term at Georgetown and one at Howard
- Funding: $60,000 stipend, benefits, and a round-trip flight, funded through the ACI-Henry Luce grant award
- Eligibility: Non-tenured or tenured PhD holders, with particular interest in early- and mid-career scholars with international experience and a strong Africa-China research record. African scholars were specifically encouraged to apply.
- Fields: History, political science, international relations, sociology, economics, anthropology, or related disciplines
- Responsibilities: Public lectures at both institutions, guest lecturing, formal and informal student mentorship, and research using resources including the Library of Congress and National Archives
Previous Application Requirements (For Reference)
The 2024-2025 cycle required submissions via Interfolio, including:
- Cover letter
- Curriculum Vitae: Fully Funded Scholarships for International Students
- Names of two references
- A 500-word research/publication proposal
- A writing sample (dissertation chapter, book chapter, or article)
- Shortlisted applicants were then asked for two full recommendation letters via Interfolio: Recommendation Letter for Scholarship
If a new cycle opens, expect similar requirements, though always confirm against the current call rather than this reference list.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Africa-China Initiative Postdoctoral Fellowship currently accepting applications? We couldn’t confirm this either way. The fellowship ran for 2024-2025, but no new cycle announcement could be found. Contact the program director directly to check current status before applying.
Has the Africa-China Initiative Postdoctoral Fellowship been discontinued? Not confirmed. Unlike some other programs we’ve reviewed, there’s no official statement that it’s been shut down — it’s simply unclear whether a new cycle has opened, and the broader Africa-China Initiative organization remains active.
How much did the fellowship pay in its last confirmed cycle? $60,000 for the year, plus benefits and a round-trip flight, for the 2024-2025 cycle.
Who should I contact to check the current status? Dr. Yoon Jung Park, Program Director of ACI, at yp114@georgetown.edu.
What fields of research does this fellowship support? History, political science, international relations, sociology, economics, anthropology, and related disciplines, with a focus on Africa-China, Africa-Asia, and Global South research.
Looking for Other Postdoctoral Opportunities?
If this fellowship’s status doesn’t resolve in time for your plans, browse other fully funded options for researchers. Fully Funded Scholarships for International Students. our Pan-African Leadership & Fellowship Programs guide covers a wider set of opportunities across the continent.