The U.S. Mission to South Africa is proud to announce that the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Ambassador’s Special Self Help (SSH) Program 2023 is officially open, and ready to receive proposal submissions, until the deadline of 23:59 CAT August 18, 2023.
U.S. Ambassador’s Special Self-Help (SSH) Program at U.S. Mission to South Africa funds small grant projects, with have high reaching impacts that foster self-reliance, improve socioeconomic conditions, respect environmental norms, and welcome the participation and input of the receiving communities.
Some examples of past SSH grants include:
- Food security – rehabilitation of soup kitchen, establishment of piggery, chicken coops at creches;
- Water Projects – boreholes, irrigation, water collection systems, storage tanks;
- Health & Hygiene – latrines at schools and clinics;
- Environmental Projects – recycling, solar panel systems, organic fertilization production;
- Education Projects – classrooms, community libraries, literacy projects; and
- Income Generating Projects – establishing a bakery, piggery, chicken raising, and brick making machines.
Please carefully read the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) at the link below for detailed information on how to apply for funding.
Notice of Funding Opportunity – US Ambassador’s Special Self Help Fund (SSH)
NOTE: All proposal applications must be submitted in English and in digital form to SSHgrantsSA@state.gov, with budgetary information in US Dollars.
PROPOSALS THAT DO NOT MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE NOFO WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED AS ELIGIBLE.
General information
Funding amount available: Ranging from $1,000 – $10,000 per project – $40,000 total available
Total number of awards: 4-6 (depending on the amounts)
Eligibility:
- Not-for-profit organizations, including civil society/non-governmental organizations registered in South Africa.
- Established, registered grassroots community-based organizations (CBOs) and Faith Based Organizations (FBOs) registered in South Africa.
- For-profit, commercial entities and individuals are not eligible to apply.
Mandatory Forms:
- SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance – Organizations)
- SF-424A (Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs)
- SF424B (Assurances for Non-Construction programs) The SF-424B is required only for those applicants who have not registered in SAM.gov.
Proposal Format
Proposal submissions should follow the following format:
- Summary
- Proposal (5 pages maximum)
- Proposal Summary
- Introduction to the organization
- Problem Statement
- Goals and Objectives
- Program Activities
- Methodology and Design
- Timeline
- Monitoring and Evaluation Plan
- Future Funding or Sustainability
- Detailed Budget and Budget Narrative
- Workplan
- CVs
- Organizational Documents
Suggested Forms:
Please feel free to use the following suggested form to formulate your proposal, or use your own format if you wish.
US Embassy South Africa Small Grants Program Application Form (DCX 132KB)
Key Dates and Deadlines:
- August 18, 2023 at 23:59 CAT – Deadline for questions to be submitted
- August 18, 2023 at 23:59 CAT – Deadline for submission of grant proposal applications
- September 2023 – Expected time for project approval and award signing.
Contact Information
All questions and proposal application submissions should be made to SSHgrantsSA@state.gov before the above dates.
DOWNLOADS
SF-424-Application-for-Federal-Assistance-Organization (PDF; 257KB)
SF-424A-Budget-Information-for-Non-Construction-Programs (PDF; 201KB)
SF-424B-Assurances-for-Non-Construction-Programs (PDF; 210KB)
SF-424C-Budget-Information-for-Construction-Programs (PDF; 106KB)
SF-424D-Assurances-for-Construction-Programs (PDF; 123KB)