U.S. Ambassador's Special Self Help Program | DOS ZAMBIA PE 2021 03

Opportunity Information: Apply for DOS ZAMBIA PE 2021 03

The U.S. Ambassador's Special Self Help (ASSH) Program is a small-grants opportunity run by the U.S. Embassy in Lusaka to support community-driven development projects in Zambia. It is designed as a flexible, grassroots funding mechanism that lets the Ambassador respond to requests coming directly from local communities, especially for practical projects that can show quick, visible impact and align with U.S. Mission priorities. A core idea behind the program is self-reliance: projects are expected to help communities build the habit and capacity to solve local problems and continue similar work in the future without depending indefinitely on outside support. Because the Small Grants Office receives far more proposals than it can fund, applicants are encouraged to submit carefully prepared, realistic applications.

The program funds small development activities that also help increase public awareness of U.S. foreign assistance, particularly in areas that are not already covered by other established U.S. assistance programs. Supported objectives are broad but clearly community-focused. In economic diversification, the program is interested in small business creation and income generation that can improve local living conditions, expand employment opportunities, encourage entrepreneurship, and promote the productive use of local natural resources. This can include purchasing income-generating equipment such as weaving looms, threshing machines, oil presses, beehives, and similar tools that can help communities create sustained livelihoods.

In social services, the program supports initiatives that help disadvantaged or at-risk populations, whether the vulnerability is temporary or long-term. Examples include projects serving people with disabilities, ethnic minorities, the elderly, and female-headed households. This category can include community-benefit infrastructure like health clinics or workshops, as well as water and sanitation projects. For youth and child development, ASSH supports activities that help young people gain life skills, improve their health and safety, and create pathways to opportunity, including employment. Typical projects might involve construction of classrooms or community centers or the purchase of school-related equipment, furnishings, and books. Another eligible area is community-based natural resource management, such as strengthening community ownership and stewardship of natural resources, supporting sustainable community-based tourism, and promoting conservation.

Construction is explicitly allowable under the ASSH program, but it must remain small in scale (under 10,000 square feet) and provide a clear public benefit. The opportunity explains that "construction activities" can include several types of work: architectural conservation of historic structures; modernization or renovation of existing buildings; new construction (including replacement of an existing structure, and also including new wells or latrines); preservation and routine maintenance to sustain historic sites; rehabilitation to enable compatible use while retaining important cultural or architectural features; and restoration to return a site to the character of a specific historical period, with limited, sensitive upgrades to key systems for safety and functionality. Applicants are cautioned to build construction budgets carefully, since material costs can rise between proposal submission and implementation, which can otherwise cause projects to stall due to funding shortfalls.

Eligibility is limited to nonprofit organizations registered at the provincial or national level in Zambia. The Embassy welcomes proposals from community-based organizations (CBOs), faith-based organizations (FBOs), and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), particularly those that work directly with communities. The award information in the source data indicates an award ceiling of USD 15,000, with an expectation of around five awards under the referenced cycle (Funding Opportunity Number DOS ZAMBIA PE 2021 03, created January 14, 2021, original closing date February 28, 2021). The funding instrument is a grant and the activity area is community development (CFDA 19.700).

The opportunity also lists extensive restrictions on what it will not fund, reflecting both policy limits and an emphasis on direct community benefit rather than organizational overhead. Ineligible activities include partisan political projects; surveillance equipment; building or expanding technical assistance programs; duplicating other U.S. Government programs; projects that personally or politically benefit U.S. Government employees or their family members; export-oriented agricultural commodity production that could significantly affect competing U.S. exports; and any activities that violate internationally recognized worker rights. It also excludes charitable donation-type activities, fundraising campaigns, lobbying, scientific research, and projects primarily aimed at organizational growth or institutional development rather than community outcomes.

Additional prohibitions include purchases or support tied to alcohol, luxury goods, gambling equipment, toxic or unsafe products (such as hazardous pesticides or chemicals), and any assistance connected to illegal drug trafficking or terrorism-related restricted parties under applicable U.S. laws and executive orders. The program will not pay salaries for the implementing organization's staff, and it will not fund food purchases or food parcels. It also excludes certain education-related costs like school uniforms, school fees, bursaries, and other personal expenses. Used equipment is generally not allowed to avoid ongoing maintenance burdens, with a preference for new equipment unless the design is simple and spare parts are available locally. Finally, it does not support private businesses, private creches, or public/government schools unless the project is implemented through the involvement of a Parent-Teacher Association, and it bars support for abortion-related facilities and services as well as police, prisons, and law enforcement-related activities.

• The Department of State, U.S. Mission to Zambia in the community development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "U.S. Ambassador's Special Self Help Program" 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 Jan 14, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 28, 2021. (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 $15,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 5 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for DOS ZAMBIA PE 2021 03

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