Ambassadors' Special Self Help Fund

The Department of State Bureau of African Affairs is disbursing Project Grants under the Ambassadors' Special Self Help Fund (CFDA 19.220) to support small community-based development projects in sub-Saharan Africa, with the most recent grant award on December 5, 2024.

The program has demonstrated consistent activity, with 1,027 total awards since 2018 and a steady cadence of approximately 250 awards annually over the past five years (2020–2024). Combined federal dollars obligated total $7.5 million, with recipients providing an additional $2.5 million in non-federal cost-share, bringing total project value to $10 million. The Department of State Bureau of African Affairs dominates the program, accounting for 1,023 awards and $7.5 million in federal obligations; the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration has awarded 4 grants totaling $73 thousand. All 1,027 awards are Project Grants.

Funded activities center on small-scale, grassroots infrastructure and economic development. Recent awards have supported classroom expansion and school equipment ($6,000 to complete a health center in Ghana); water access infrastructure including boreholes and wells ($13,500 to expand water distribution in Kenya, $10,000 for accessible artesian wells in Mozambique); agricultural and food-processing equipment ($6,200 for a micro crops processing mill, $27,400 for vocational training in rural Guinea-Bissau); health clinic renovation and equipment ($20,900 to upgrade a health center in Senegal); and income-generating equipment for vulnerable populations including women and people with disabilities (sewing machines, soap-making equipment, cereal mills, beekeeping supplies). Typical awards range from approximately $4,000 to $27,400. Many recent awards have been terminated following executive orders, particularly those issued in late 2024.

Multiple grant opportunities remain posted across U.S. Embassy missions. The U.S. Embassy Kinshasa Ambassadors' Special Self-Help Fund solicitation (DOS-COD-SSHF-FY23-001) closed August 9, 2024. The U.S. Embassy Nouakchott PGO Request for SSH Proposals (PGO-MRT-FY2023) offered $60,000 across five awards with a due date of August 6, 2024. The U.S. Embassy Libreville Special Self-Help Program solicitation (LIBREVILLE-SSH01-2024) closed August 1, 2024. Applicant eligibility is typically limited to non-profit and community-based organizations, local cooperatives, associations, and local NGOs with legal standing in the recipient country. Projects must demonstrate community-driven design, significant local contribution in labor, materials, or funds, and sustainability within local capacity to manage and maintain.