The U.S. Embassy in Abuja invites organizations to submit proposals for projects under the Ambassador’s Special Self-Help (ASSH) Small Grants Program.
Program Objectives
The Ambassador’s Special Self-Help (ASSH) program is a grassroots grant assistance initiative providing modest grants for small-scale community development projects aimed at improving living conditions.
The program is flexible, allowing the Ambassador to directly respond to local community requests for assistance with projects that have an immediate impact and align with Mission priorities.
ASSH encourages communities to be self-reliant and undertake similar activities independently in the future. The U.S. contribution is a one-time grant.
Project Objectives
- Economic Diversification and Creation of Opportunities: Projects should generate sustainable revenue and employment opportunities, advancing economic diversification at the grassroots level and promoting entrepreneurship, particularly women-led entrepreneurship and innovation.
- Social Inclusion and Services: Initiatives should aim to enhance the lives of vulnerable populations, including people with disabilities, ethnic minorities, the elderly, and female heads of households. This includes improving access to basic services such as water and sanitation.
- Youth and Child Development: Projects should create opportunities for youth, including employment, and enhance early childhood and primary education access.
- Environment and Community-Based Natural Resource Management: Initiatives should promote effective community ownership and management of natural resources, conservation efforts, resilience building, and capacity development to adapt to environmental changes.
Project Requirements
To be eligible for consideration, projects must:
- Improve basic economic or social conditions on a small community scale with long-term value.
- Have a high impact, benefiting a significant number of community members, and a high beneficiary-to-budget ratio.
- Be initiated by the community with strong involvement and participation.
- Be feasible and aligned with the socio-economic context of the community.
- Include a community contribution of 10% or more of the total project cost, which may be in cash or in-kind contributions.
- Aim to be completed within 6 – 12 months and be self-sustaining upon completion.
- Identify a genuine need and demonstrate the community’s ability to maintain and operate the project.
- Be submitted by an organized group with a capable project manager who is a long-term resident in the community.
- Not request a U.S. contribution exceeding $7,000.
- Have a clear, complete, and well-defined project budget.
Ineligible Funding Areas
The following are not eligible for funding:
- Projects related to partisan political activities or personal expenses.
- Support for private businesses, surveillance equipment, or technical assistance programs.
- Duplication of other U.S. Government programs or activities benefiting U.S. Government employees.
- Funding for religious, military, or law enforcement activities, or projects with purely cultural emphasis.
- Large-scale agriculture or construction projects, scientific research, or salaries for organization staff.
- Purchase of alcohol, toxic products, or items for personal use.
- Support for abortion-related facilities or services.
- Projects partially funded by another donor or the Government of Nigeria.
Application Deadline and Instructions
The application deadline is May 31, 2024. Interested organizations developing projects with immediate community impact can apply for an ASSH grant by following the instructions provided in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) available at this link https://ng.usembassy.gov/grants
For further details, visit Grants.gov. Apply now to access funding for projects that contribute to community development and empowerment.
