U.S. Embassy Gaborone Ambassador’s Special Self-Help Fund Program | DOS GABORONE GR ASSHF 2024

Opportunity Information: Apply for DOS GABORONE GR ASSHF 2024

The U.S. Embassy Gaborone Ambassador's Special Self-Help (SSH) Fund Program is a small-grants opportunity run by the U.S. Department of State (Bureau of African Affairs) through the U.S. Mission to Botswana. It is designed to fund short, practical, community-initiated projects that improve basic economic and social conditions at the local level. The program is intentionally grass-roots and is meant to help communities address clearly identified needs through projects that can be completed within a one-year period. Funding is noted as subject to availability, and the Embassy emphasizes that applicants should consult the full Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for complete requirements.

At its core, SSH prioritizes projects that are high impact and fast to implement, benefiting a large number of people within 12 months and not requiring repeated SSH support afterward. Proposals are expected to reflect genuine local initiative, with communities playing an active role in identifying the problem and driving the solution. Preference is given to projects that a community can realistically operate and maintain after the grant ends, rather than initiatives that depend on outside technical assistance or ongoing external inputs. The opportunity also highlights interest in broadly accessible and economically sustainable water and sanitation services that improve health, security, and prosperity (while clarifying that it is not focused on agriculture or household-level water issues). Additional priority areas include social assistance and efforts that support vulnerable or at-risk populations such as people with disabilities, orphans, children and at-risk youth, ethnic minorities, the elderly, female-headed households, and other socially excluded groups.

The types of activities SSH funds can support are practical, tangible purchases or small-scale construction that directly benefits a community. Examples listed include seeds and agricultural supplies (but not chemical inputs like fertilizers or pesticides), water-related infrastructure such as wells, latrines, pumps, boreholes, tanks, and even fish ponds, as well as school equipment and supplies like desks, chairs, laboratory items, and library materials. The program also allows for communal construction equipment (for example brick-making machines), durable goods that support service delivery (such as a stove or refrigerator for a school or hospital, or a washing machine for a clinic), and small construction projects like building classrooms or community centers.

At the same time, the NOFO is clear about what will not be funded. The program does not support renovations of facilities that have fallen into disrepair due to neglect or lack of funds, and it will not fund activities with unmitigated negative environmental impacts (with examples like dams or roads through forest land). Projects that are purely religious in nature are excluded, although community-serving projects run by faith-based groups may be considered if they benefit the whole community without discrimination based on religious affiliation. SSH also excludes military and law enforcement-related activities (including police, prisons, or similar), and it will not pay for pesticides, fungicides, or herbicides. Other explicit restrictions include support for national sports teams or orchestras (equipment or uniforms), student bursaries, salaries for existing positions, ongoing education or training needs, vehicles or tractors, routine office supplies, office equipment like computers or photocopiers, and support to private businesses.

A cost-sharing requirement applies: applicants must contribute 10 percent cost participation, which can include funds, materials, and/or labor. This is positioned as an eligibility factor, meaning proposals that do not demonstrate the required match risk being deemed ineligible.

Key opportunity details include an application window from March 5, 2024 to May 17, 2024 (late, incomplete, or missing-document submissions are rejected). The opportunity is a discretionary grant under CFDA 19.220, with an award ceiling listed as $15,000 and an expectation of about five awards. Application guidelines can be requested by email at sshbotswana@state.gov or collected at the U.S. Embassy Botswana Main Gate. The Special Projects Office also notes it may request additional documentation beyond what is listed, and that selected applicants may need to support a pre-award site visit and provide bank and other administrative information before a federal award is issued.

Applications must be written in English and budgets must be in U.S. dollars, with pages numbered and the proposal clearly tied to the opportunity's goals. The required package is detailed and structured: a cover page and table of contents, plus a proposal narrative limited to ten pages. The narrative must explain the organization’s background and relevant experience, the program methods and design, a clear overall goal, and SMART objectives (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound). Applicants must lay out activities under each objective, explain how stakeholders and local partners will be engaged, and provide a management plan that clarifies roles, responsibilities, reporting lines, and communications. The proposal must also include partners (if any), a sustainability plan describing how benefits will continue after the grant ends, a risk analysis with likelihood/impact and mitigation steps, and a monitoring and evaluation plan that explains how outputs and outcomes will be tracked using appropriate tools (surveys, interviews, focus groups, baseline and final evaluations, and so on). A separate timeline is required (no more than one page), along with a detailed budget and budget justification.

The required attachments are extensive and include a detailed budget and narrative, CVs or resumes for key personnel, vendor quotations for any goods or services the grant would pay for, the organization’s constitution, a list of committee/board members with names and addresses, a map/directions to the project site from a major road, project bank account details, and proof of land ownership or permission to occupy the land where the project will be implemented (such as a lease agreement or land deed). The Embassy warns that applications missing any required elements will be considered technically ineligible, and that reviewers will only read up to the page limits, so clarity and completeness within the allowed length matters.

Finally, eligibility includes non-profit organizations, schools, NGOs, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, orphanages, and health facilities. Administrative compliance is also emphasized: applicant organizations must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and an active SAM.gov registration prior to submission, and SAM registration can take 4 to 8 weeks to obtain or renew. The notice also clarifies that DUNS numbers are no longer required and that non-U.S. organizations that do not pay U.S.-based employees do not need an EIN, but they still must obtain a UEI to register in SAM.gov, and SAM registration must be renewed annually.

• The U.S. Mission to Botswana in the community development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "U.S. Embassy Gaborone Ambassador’s Special Self-Help Fund Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.220.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-03-05.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-05-17. (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.

Apply for DOS GABORONE GR ASSHF 2024

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