Feminist Centre for Racial Justice (FCRJ) Activist‑in‑Residence (AiR) Programme 2025-26
- Omran Aburayya
- Aug 3
- 3 min read
If you are an activist working in feminist and racial justice, chiefly on community-led issues in Africa, here’s your spotlight: the Activist‑in‑Residence (AiR) Programme hosted by the Feminist Centre for Racial Justice (FCRJ) at SOAS, University of London, is now open for the 2025–26 remote fellowship cycle. This six‑month fellowship offers a £3,000 grant and public-facing support for a community-rooted action research project. (
🎯 Programme Summary
Host Institution: Feminist Centre for Racial Justice (FCRJ), SOAS University of London—a thought leader in feminist and anti-racist scholarship.
Programme Level: A six-month remote fellowship, beginning November 2025, open to individuals or teams.
Target Group: Community activists, educators, and public advocates focusing on feminist or racial justice. Applicants from Africa encouraged.
Focus Areas: Community-engaged action research around race, racism, decolonial feminism, migration, protest movement, or indigenous resistance.
Award Coverage: A fellowship grant of £3,000 per fellow to produce a public-facing project or output.
Duration: Six months (approx. November 2025–April 2026), fully remote.
Application Deadline: 30 September 2025 at 11:59 PM UK time. Late submissions are not accepted.
Eligible to: Community-based activists—alone or in pairs—with a project benefiting a community they work with. Team applications accepted (one fellowship per team).
✨ Programme Overview
The AiR Programme is designed to bridge activist practice with public scholarship, centering mutual learning among activists, academics, and policymakers. As an Activist-in-Residence, you'll:
Design and deliver an action-oriented research initiative—e.g. digital archives, exhibitions, short films, policy briefs, scoping studies—all tailored to community impact and FCRJ research priorities.
Co-create a public showcase in collaboration with FCRJ to disseminate your work to broader audiences—activists, scholars, policymakers, and community members.
Engage in remote collaboration with FCRJ staff and fellow activists to shape inclusive, non-academic outputs around #Race, feminism, and decolonial justice.
🎁 Benefits
Fully funded grant of £3,000, enabling creation of tangible, community-centered justice outputs.
Remote engagement, making it accessible for activists across Africa and beyond.
Supportive platform and visibility with an institution grounded in feminist and anti-racist research.
Opportunity to build synergies between grassroots activism and academic scholarship—amplifying impact through shared knowledge.
✅ Eligibility Criteria
To apply, you should:
Be an activist, educator, or organizer working on feminist, racial justice, or decolonial community issues.
Have a clear project idea that will benefit a community you’re actively engaged with, and align with FCRJ research themes.
Can apply individually or as a team (max one fellowship per team).
Project must be feasible within six months, with public-facing outputs.
Applicants from Africa encouraged, but global applicants are welcome.
📝 Application Procedure
Write and email an expression of interest to fcrj@soas.ac.uk by 30 September 2025, 11:59 PM UK time.
Include in your application:
Motivation statement explaining your interest.
Detailed project proposal including scope, expected deliverables, timeline, feasibility.
A current CV.
Team applications: send combined submission and clarify roles.
FCRJ will review applications promptly and may schedule interviews before final selection.
💡 Pro Tips for a Competitive Application
Ensure your proposal demonstrates clear community impact and connection to your activist practice.
Design a project with concrete, public-ready deliverables—film, policy brief, exhibition, or archive.
Engage with FCRJ’s focus areas—especially around intersectional feminist justice, community archives, and anti-racism.
Submit early—the programme encourages timely applications and reviews on submission order.
🔗 OFFICIAL LINK
