The Rockefeller FoundationFellowship

Big Bets Fellowship: Africa (2026)

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Archived

Opportunity type

Fellowship

Funding

Fully Funded

Location

Global

Deadline

Archived

About this opportunity

This fellowship equips African leaders with the mindset, skills, and networks to scale bold solutions. Key features:

Program dates: • Virtual sessions: May, August 2026 (weekly 90-minute calls) • In-person convening: Week of August 23, 2026 at the Bellagio Center (Italy)
Focus areas: • Decentralized renewable energy • Public health and heat resilience • Food systems and school meals • Regional trade and economic integration • AI, data, and policy innovation
Support includes: • Leadership development • Global network access • Travel expenses for Bellagio convening (visa not included)
Application process: • Must join the Big Bets Community to access the application • Two-stage process:

Eligibility & Pre-Application (due Dec 1, 2025)
Full Application & Interviews (Jan 2026)

Who can apply

Must be based in Africa
Must have 5–15 years of impact experience in professional, entrepreneurial, or community-based work
Must demonstrate:
Deep regional engagement
A bold, systems-level solution
A track record of collaboration and innovation
Must join the Big Bets Community to apply

AI Verification

✓ AI Verified

Our AI read the official sources and cross-checked the key facts. Here is what held up, and what it could not confirm.

We could not fully verify this organization or all of its details. Check it independently on the official website before you apply, and never share sensitive personal or financial information until you are sure a request is genuine.

LOT Verification ScoreFair

Cross-checked 4 of 4 key facts

Confirmed Our best read Not stated

Good to know

+While it ran the funding was real: travel to the convening covered, most visa expenses covered, plus a 5,000 dollar stipend after signature of the Fellowship Agreement
+Eligibility was published precisely: 18 or older, at least 5 and no more than 15 years of relevant work experience, conversant in English
+The full application timeline was published stage by stage, which is more than most fellowships do

Worth checking yourself

!THIS ROUND IS CLOSED. Applications are not currently open and no new date has been published by the organisation. Do not plan around this listing until it is confirmed reopened.
!Dead record. It is currently live on LOT displaying Rolling for a fellowship whose applications closed in December 2025 and whose cohort is already mid-convening
!Even when open it was not a youth opportunity in LOT's sense: the 5-to-15-years-of-experience floor puts it out of reach of almost every young person browsing the platform
!It was never openly applicable either. Applicants had to already be members of the Big Bets Community
!The stipend did not fund the work: selection did not include grant support for implementing the solutions

Sources checked

ROrockefellerfoundation.orgApplyROrockefellerfoundation.orgApply

LOT finds and checks opportunities from public sources. Always confirm details on the organiser’s own page before applying.

About this opportunity

This fellowship equips African leaders with the mindset, skills, and networks to scale bold solutions. Key features:

Program dates: • Virtual sessions: May, August 2026 (weekly 90-minute calls) • In-person convening: Week of August 23, 2026 at the Bellagio Center (Italy)
Focus areas: • Decentralized renewable energy • Public health and heat resilience • Food systems and school meals • Regional trade and economic integration • AI, data, and policy innovation
Support includes: • Leadership development • Global network access • Travel expenses for Bellagio convening (visa not included)
Application process: • Must join the Big Bets Community to access the application • Two-stage process:

Eligibility & Pre-Application (due Dec 1, 2025)
Full Application & Interviews (Jan 2026)