U.S. Ambassador’s Special Self-Help Fund, U.S. Embassy Lilongwe

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This notice is subject to availability of funding. The U.S. Embassy Lilongwe announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out projects through the U.S. Ambassador’s Special Self-Help Fund. The U.S. Ambassador’s Special Self-Help (SSH) Fund was established in Malawi in 1966 as a way to address urgent development needs at the community level. The goal of the fund is to improve the basic economic or social conditions of Malawians at the local community or village level. Over the past 50 years, this fund has disbursed over $6 million to 1,463 projects covering all 28 Districts in Malawi. Projects funded have included classroom blocks, under-five clinics, pregnant mothers waiting shelters, school libraries, girls’ hostels, installation of biogas digesters, eco-stove production, and provision of clean and safe drinking water through boreholes and shallow wells. The U.S. Embassy funds a variety of projects each year, with an objective to obtain geographical diversity in project selection. Projects for which women and girls are the primary beneficiaries are encouraged. We will not consider projects that benefit only small number of individuals. Each grant ranges from between USD $3,000 and USD $10,000. This grass-roots grant assistance program allows U.S. Ambassadors to support local requests for small community-based development projects. The purpose of this program is to fund small development activities that generate public awareness of U.S. foreign assistance efforts but that fall outside the structure of established USAID projects. The program is intended to be flexible and allow the Ambassador to respond quickly and directly to requests from local communities for assistance with small community projects that have immediate impact and further Mission policies and objectives. Equally important, this program is structured to encourage communities to be self-reliant and undertake similar activities on their own in the future. All are community-based, initiated locally, administered at the local level, and include significant community contributions in cash, labor, or materials. The SSH philosophy is to help communities that are ready to help themselves. The U.S. Embassy funds a variety of projects each year, with an objective to obtain geographical diversity in project selection. Projects for which women and girls are the primary beneficiaries are encouraged. We will not consider projects that benefit only small number of individuals. Each grant ranges from between $3,000 and $10,000.

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