State/African Regional - Other Economic Support Funds (ESF) Projects/Programs

The Department of State Bureau of African Affairs is funding foreign policy initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa using Economic Support Funds, with the most recent grant award issued October 1, 2025 (CFDA 19.989).

The program has accelerated sharply in recent years. Award activity was sporadic through 2023 (one to six awards annually) but surged to 24 awards in 2024 and continued into 2025, indicating the program is active and expanding. The Bureau of African Affairs is the sole funding source across 37 total awards obligating $18.3 million in federal dollars since 2018.

Funded projects support concrete development and governance activities aligned with U.S. regional priorities. Recent awards have financed cybersecurity legislation and critical infrastructure protection in Gabon; digital governance and media literacy initiatives in Tanzania; coastal regeneration and climate resilience in Cabo Verde; employment and capacity building for informal workers; mangrove conservation and community livelihoods in Nigeria and Gabon; university partnerships in computer science and human-centered design with Kenya; investigative journalism training and media institution strengthening; blue economy development and anti-illegal fishing coordination across the Indian Ocean region; environmental impact assessment peer review in Mozambique; and transaction advisory services to African governments on non-traditional lending. Awards range from $30,000 to $2.17 million, with a median below $300,000.

The program is predominantly Project Grants (78 percent of 37 awards) with a smaller Cooperative Agreement share (22 percent). Assistance is limited to 12 months from program start, though extensions are used; activities typically launch in late summer or early fall following late-spring award decisions. Announcements are made internally to State Department and through embassies and consulates in late winter or early spring.

Multiple opportunities are currently open. The U.S.-Africa Strategic Investment Program (DFOP0019410, due May 27–31, 2027) solicits Cooperative Agreements targeting Critical Minerals Investment and Commercial Diplomacy Acceleration across sub-Saharan Africa, open to nonprofits, small businesses, for-profits, and higher education institutions. Supporting Implementation of the Regional Economic Integration Framework in the Great Lakes Region (DFOP0019574, due September 9, 2026) seeks technical and advisory support to mining governance in Burundi, DRC, Rwanda, and Uganda. The U.S.-Kenya Freedom 250 Tech and Innovation Exchange (DOS-NBO-PDS-FY26-001, due May 29, 2026) funds a Cooperative Agreement to embed 76 Kenyan undergraduates in U.S. universities and establish U.S.-Kenya higher education partnerships. Multiple recent opportunities from individual embassies closed in 2024; opportunities are announced through individual embassy websites and GRANTS.gov.

The program operates via individual notices of funding opportunity that control review procedures, award terms, and selection criteria. Application and award processes are announced internally to State and disseminated through embassies in late winter or early spring, with decisions and program performance concentrated in late spring through early fall. Multiple recent awards have been terminated or suspended in alignment with Executive Order 14173 or foreign assistance reviews, signaling volatility in program execution and recipient obligations.