Opportunity Information: Apply for DOS MWI ASSHF FY19
The U.S. Ambassador's Special Self-Help Fund (SSH) at the U.S. Embassy in Lilongwe is a small-grants program designed to support urgent, community-identified development needs across Malawi. Running since 1966, the fund focuses on improving basic economic and social conditions at the village or local community level. Over roughly five decades, it has provided more than USD 6 million to 1,463 projects in all 28 districts, reflecting a long track record of backing practical, locally driven initiatives with visible results.
SSH grants are meant for grassroots, community-based projects that deliver immediate, tangible benefits while also building community ownership and self-reliance. A key feature of the program is that projects must be initiated and administered locally and include meaningful community contributions, such as cash, labor, or materials. The underlying idea is to support communities that are already organized and prepared to help themselves, with the grant acting as a catalyst rather than a fully externally delivered solution. The program is also positioned to complement, not duplicate, larger USAID efforts by funding smaller development activities that fall outside established USAID project structures, while still advancing U.S. Mission policies and objectives and increasing public awareness of U.S. foreign assistance.
Funded activities can span a wide range of community development needs, and past examples include construction or rehabilitation of classroom blocks, under-five clinics, and school libraries; establishment of pregnant mothers' waiting shelters and girls' hostels; installation of biogas digesters; eco-stove production; and water access improvements through boreholes and shallow wells. The Embassy selects a variety of projects each year and aims for geographical diversity so that support reaches different parts of the country rather than concentrating in a few areas. Projects where women and girls are the primary beneficiaries are explicitly encouraged, reflecting a priority to invest in interventions that strengthen outcomes for women and girls at the community level.
Awards are relatively small and targeted, ranging from USD 3,000 to USD 10,000 per grant, with an award ceiling of USD 10,000. The opportunity is run as an open competition (subject to availability of funding) and, according to the notice, eligibility is broadly unrestricted (open to any type of entity, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications in the full announcement). The funding instrument is a grant, categorized under community development, and the assistance listing is CFDA 19.700. For this specific posting (Funding Opportunity Number DOS MWI ASSHF FY19), the opportunity was created March 15, 2020, with an original closing date of May 29, 2020, and it anticipated up to 250 awards, indicating an intention to fund many small projects rather than a few large ones.
One notable limitation is that the Embassy will not consider projects that benefit only a small number of individuals. In practice, that means applicants should design proposals around broad community impact and clear public benefit, with evidence of community participation and contributions. Overall, SSH is best understood as a flexible, ambassador-led micro-grants mechanism: quick-moving by design, locally anchored in planning and implementation, and focused on practical improvements communities can see and sustain.Apply for DOS MWI ASSHF FY19
- The Department of State, U.S. Mission to Malawi in the community development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "U.S. Ambassador’s Special Self-Help Fund, U.S. Embassy Lilongwe" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.700.
- This funding opportunity was created on Mar 15, 2020.
- Applicants must submit their applications by May 29, 2020. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $10,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 250 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.
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| FY 2020 Citizenship and Assimilation Grant Program; Citizenship and Instruction Application Services Apply for DHS 20 CIS 010 002 Funding Number: DHS 20 CIS 010 002 Agency: Department of Homeland Security, Office of Procurement Operations - Grants Division Category: Community Development Funding Amount: $8,200,000 |
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