The Miles Morland Foundation’s main aim is to support entities in Africa that enable Africans to get their voices heard. It is particularly interested in supporting African writing and African literature.
The MMF has supported literary festivals in Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, and Somaliland, cultural initiatives in east, west, central, and southern Africa, London’s Film Africa festival, the Caine Prize for African Writing, several African educational initiatives, and the new Rhodes scholarships for Africans.
The Miles Morland Foundation Writing Scholarship, also called the Morland Writing Scholarship or the Miles Morland Writing Scholarship is an annual financial scholarship awarded to four to six African writers to enable them to write a fiction or non-fiction book in the English language.
It can be difficult for writers, before they become established, to write while simultaneously earning a living. To help meet this need the MMF annually awards a small number of Morland Writing Scholarships, with the aim being to allow each Scholar the time to produce the first draft of a completed book. The Scholarships are open to anyone writing in the English language who was born in Africa, or both of whose parents were born in Africa.
The Foundation has also supported several human rights organizations, an array of London theatres, Oxford University women’s lightweight rowing, projects in Haiti and Palestine, a literacy initiative in London’s Shoreditch, plus several schemes that help recovering addicts and detained prisoners in the UK.
Scholars writing fiction will receive a grant of £18,000, paid monthly over the course of twelve months. At the discretion of the Foundation, Scholars writing non-fiction, who require additional research time, could receive an additional grant, paid over a period of up to eighteen months.
Miles Morland set up the foundation that bears his name in 2013, after a career investing in Africa via two companies he created, Blakeney Management and DPI (Development Partners International). Based in London, the Miles Morland Foundation (MMF) is a UK-registered charity that makes grants in areas reflecting its founder’s interests.
Location:
AfricaBenefits
- Scholars writing fiction will receive a grant of £18,000, paid monthly over the course of twelve months.
- At the discretion of the foundation, Scholars writing non-fiction, who require additional research time, could receive an additional grant, paid over a period of up to eighteen months.
Eligibilities
- The Scholarships are open to anyone writing in the English language who was born in Africa, or both of whose parents were born in Africa.
Application Process
To be considered, the candidates must submit:
- A description of between 400 – 1,000 words of the work they intend to write. The proposal must be for a full-length book of no fewer than 80,000 words.
- A submission of between 2,000 to 5,000 words as a Word document of work that has been published and offered for sale.
- Proof of publication and proof of sale.
- A description of between 400 – 1,000 words about the new book the candidate intends to write.
- A scan of an official document showing that the applicant, or both of the applicant’s parents, were born in Africa.
- A brief bio of between 200 – 300 words.
- Description of how the applicant heard about the Morland Writing Scholarships.
Application Deadline: September 18, 2023
Application ClosedOfficial link
