A call for proposals is issued, annually, in the third quarter of the year.
The fellowship will provide funding for the following :
FALF was established with the objective of raising funds with a targeted amount of R50,000,000 (Fifty Million Rand) as an endowment to support African and Coloured women academics (Chancellor’s Fellows). The funds are intended to be used for, amongst other things, to assist Chancellor’s Fellows in furthering their academic and leadership development at the University.
In particular:
These areas have been identified as having a critical need for transformation. FALF, The University of the Witwatersrand Foundation Trust (WF) and Wits have entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) in order to govern the respective roles, duties and obligations that each Party will assume in order to achieve the objectives of the FALF programme and matters ancillary thereto.
The success of the programme relies on a successful partnership with the Wits University executive management and academic leaders, and subsequent funders to enhance the initial seed funding. The current Chancellor, Dr Judy Dlamini, the founder of FALF, has committed R1mil (One Million Rand) as the seed fund for the programme. The chosen components for the programme are based on what academics have identified as challenges that delay their career progression.
The programme will offer 1 to 2-year fellowships to South African, African and Coloured female lecturers, senior lecturers and associate Professors. It will give an opportunity for recipients to advance their research careers and develop their leadership skills. Chancellor’s fellows will be encouraged to source other funding (top up, if required) to ensure that FALF funds can be accessible to a higher number of academics.
FALF seeks to develop a pipeline of South African, African and Africans of mixed ancestry female academic leaders in tertiary institutions (Chancellor’s Fellows).
This initiative was informed by the slow racial and gender transformation at leadership level in tertiary institutions nationally, especially when it comes to black females.