Center for African Studies, UC Berkeley

What Center for African Studies, UC Berkeley does

The Center for African Studies is an interdisciplinary academic research center within the University of California, Berkeley. Established in 1979 and designated a UC Organized Research Unit since 2000, it promotes research, teaching, and public awareness about Africa and African issues by coordinating activity across more than 90 affiliated faculty from 30 departments and 7 colleges at Berkeley. Its portfolio comprises academic degree pathways in African Studies, African Humanities, and African Social Sciences; African language instruction in Swahili, Arabic, Yoruba, and others; a suite of CAS Fellowships (Rocca, FLAS, Ezera, Geist and Rosberg, Cowell, Africa Research Travel Grant); a Visiting Scholar Program including Mastercard Foundation Visiting Fellowships for Africa-based researchers; and outreach programs for K-12 educators, the business community, and media makers.

The Center's core technology is not a software product but a coordination infrastructure: a network of listservs, a website, a calendar of conferences and colloquiums, and a social media presence that collectively aggregate interdisciplinary scholarship and disseminate events and resources. It is one of eight Title VI National Resource Centers at Berkeley, partnering with the seven other area studies centers, the Global Studies Program, the Department of African American Studies, and historically with Stanford's Center for African Studies (joint Title VI NRC/FLAS from 1979 to 2014). In 2024 it co-hosted the West Coast Regional Conference on West Africa with the West African Research Association.

Its business model is non-commercial. Revenue flows consist of institutional ORU allocations from UC Berkeley, federal Title VI National Resource Center and FLAS funding from the US Department of Education, programmatic support from the Mastercard Foundation for the Scholars Program and Visiting Fellowships, and tax-deductible donations processed through UC Berkeley's giving platform. The Center does not charge for programs or services, so there is no pricing model or paying customer base in the conventional sense; its "customers" are UC Berkeley students and scholars, visiting Africa-based researchers, K-12 educators, business audiences, and media makers served through fellowship, instructional, and outreach channels.

Name

Center for African Studies, UC Berkeley

Legal name

The Regents of the University of California

Website

https://africa.berkeley.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Center for African Studies is an interdisciplinary research center at UC Berkeley that promotes scholarship on Africa and African issues through academic programs, fellowships, language instruction, visiting scholar opportunities, and outreach to educators and media. It serves UC Berkeley students, African researchers, K-12 educators, and the broader public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Research Center

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Research Universities with Comprehensive Graduate & Professional Schools (EDAHAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

International & Global Research Universities (Multi-Campus/International Footprint) (EDAHABAI)

Keywords

• African studies research
• Interdisciplinary academic research
• Area studies center
• Fellowship programs
• African language instruction

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. University Funding (ORU): As an Organized Research Unit (ORU) of the University of California, the Center receives institutional funding and seeks extramural research funds from government programs like Title VI NRC and FLAS.
2. Donations: The Center accepts donations through UC Berkeley's giving platform to support student and research programs.
3. Mastercard Foundation Support: The Center receives support from the Mastercard Foundation for Visiting Fellowships and the Scholars Program.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Center for African Studies is an interdisciplinary academic research center at UC Berkeley that promotes research, teaching, and public awareness about Africa and African issues. It supports basic research and training of scholars, facilitates interdisciplinary research collaborations across 30 departments and 7 colleges, administers fellowship and scholars programs (including the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program), and provides African language instruction and outreach to educators and media makers.

Product overview

The Center for African Studies at UC Berkeley is an interdisciplinary academic research center (not a technology company) that promotes research, teaching, and public awareness about Africa. The Center offers a portfolio of academic and fellowship programs including the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, various CAS Fellowships (Rocca, FLAS, Ezera), African language study programs, research support services, a visiting scholar program, and outreach initiatives for educators and media makers. The Center collaborates with the eight other Title VI National Resource Centers at Berkeley and works with Stanford's Center for African Studies on joint initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Established as an Organized Research Unit of UC since 2000
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• West African Research Association (WARA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 June 2024Co-hosts the West Coast Regional Conference on West Africa, building a community of West Africa scholars in the western regions of North America.
• Stanford Center for African StudiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates closely on library collections, language instruction and pedagogy, and outreach. Previously operated as a Joint Title VI NRC and FLAS Center from 1979 to 2014.
• Seven Other Area Studies Centers at UC BerkeleycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with seven other Title VI-funded area studies centers at Berkeley on shared initiatives and research.
• Global Studies Program, UC BerkeleymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorks closely with Berkeley's Global Studies program on curriculum for students concentrating in African Studies.
• Department of African American Studies, UC BerkeleymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates on the African language program and shared academic initiatives.
• Blum Center for Developing EconomiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated center at Berkeley focused on global development issues.
• Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated research center at Berkeley focused on effective global development.
• Office of International and Area Studies (ORIAS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorks with ORIAS on program updates and international area studies initiatives.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• African Studies Association: The professional association serving Africanists across US universities. Not a direct competitor but the central convening body for the African Studies field in which the Berkeley center operates and from which it draws legitimacy and network effects.

Direct peers

• Columbia University Institute of African Studies: Columbia's African Studies institute and a Title VI National Resource Center offering interdisciplinary research, fellowships, and language programs. Directly comparable in mission and institutional setting.
• Yale Council on African Studies: Yale's coordinating body for African Studies, supporting interdisciplinary research, language instruction, and student training. Comparable in operating model and competitive positioning for African Studies talent and federal funding.
• Harvard Center for African Studies: Harvard's university-wide African Studies center offering fellowships, language programs, and interdisciplinary research. Comparable institutional setting (elite private research university) and a direct competitor for top African Studies faculty, students, and federal Title VI funding.
• Northwestern University Program of African Studies: One of the pioneering African Studies programs in the US, with interdisciplinary faculty, language training, and fellowships. Operates within a comparable top-tier research university setting and competes for the same Title VI funding pool.
• Indiana University African Studies Program: A Title VI-funded African Studies program offering interdisciplinary graduate and undergraduate training, language instruction, and fellowships. Comparable in academic scope and federal funding dependence.
• Stanford Center for African Studies: Stanford's interdisciplinary African Studies center and the Berkeley center's longest-standing partner. Operates with the same Title VI NRC framework, FLAS fellowships, and visiting scholar programs, and the two centers have co-hosted conferences and previously shared a joint Title VI designation.
• University of Wisconsin–Madison African Studies Program: One of the oldest and largest Title VI-funded African Studies programs in the US, with comprehensive language instruction, FLAS fellowships, and K-12 outreach. Directly comparable in mission, scale, and funding model.
• Michigan State University African Studies Center: A long-established Title VI National Resource Center with strong fellowships, outreach, and Africa-focused research programs. Directly comparable in mission, funding structure, and breadth of programming across teaching, research, and public engagement.

Emerging players

• Howard University Center for African Studies: An African Studies center at an HBCU with growing programs in research, language, and diaspora-focused scholarship. Comparable in topical focus but operates at a smaller scale and a different institutional context from Berkeley's center.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UCBAfrica
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCuROqFOjs2IUfM7nGYJi7Hg
• Facebookfacebook.com/AfricaUCBerkeley
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/center-for-african-studies
• Instagraminstagram.com/ucbafrica

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Center for African Studies, UC Berkeley