FY 2021 Ambassador’s Special Self-Help Program | NGA POLECON GR FY21 001 121820

Opportunity Information: Apply for NGA POLECON GR FY21 001 121820

The FY 2021 Ambassador's Special Self-Help (ASSH) Program is a small grants opportunity run by the U.S. Embassy in Abuja to support community-driven, grassroots development projects in Nigeria. The program is designed for relatively small, practical activities that communities are asking for directly, especially projects that can show visible results in the near term. A key goal is also public awareness: funded projects should help demonstrate U.S. foreign assistance in places where other larger or more structured U.S. assistance programs may not fit. At the same time, the program is intentionally structured to push local ownership and self-reliance, meaning communities are expected to participate and build the confidence and capacity to carry out similar initiatives on their own later. Because the Small Grants Office receives more proposals than it can fund, applicants are encouraged to prepare applications carefully and present realistic, well-justified plans.

The program is open to non-profit organizations registered at the state or national level in Nigeria. This includes Community Based Organizations (CBOs), Faith Based Organizations (FBOs), and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), with an emphasis on groups that work directly with communities rather than operating at a distance. The opportunity was posted by the Department of State, U.S. Mission to Nigeria, under funding opportunity number NGA POLECON GR FY21 001 121820, with an original closing date of March 15, 2021. The award ceiling listed is $15,000, and the embassy expected to make about seven awards, reflecting the program's small-grant, local-impact approach.

Projects are expected to fit within community development priorities and are grouped broadly into several acceptable objective areas. One major category is economic diversification, including small business creation and income generation. Examples under this area include activities that create sustainable income and employment, encourage entrepreneurship at the grassroots level, improve basic living conditions through livelihood opportunities, and help communities use local natural resources productively. The solicitation specifically notes that grant funds can support the purchase of income-generating equipment, with examples like weaving looms, threshing machines, oil presses, and beehives, which signals a preference for tangible inputs that can quickly translate into livelihood benefits when paired with community participation.

A second category is social services, particularly projects that support disadvantaged or at-risk populations, whether temporarily or over the long term. The description highlights groups such as people with disabilities, ethnic minorities, the elderly, and female-headed households. Social service projects can include small-scale construction like health clinics or workshop spaces, as well as water and sanitation initiatives. A third area is youth and child development, focused on helping young people gain practical knowledge and tools to live positively, set goals, and improve their health, safety, and security. This category also supports projects that create opportunities for youth, including employment pathways, and it allows for construction or equipping of school rooms and community centers, as well as purchasing school equipment, furnishings, and books.

A fourth objective area is community-based natural resource management. Projects in this lane are meant to strengthen community ownership and stewardship of natural resources, develop sustainable community-based tourism where appropriate, and promote conservation. Across all these categories, the underlying expectation is that projects should be locally grounded, provide a clear public benefit, and align with broader U.S. Mission priorities while still being responsive to what communities say they need.

Construction is allowed, but with clear boundaries. ASSH-funded construction projects should be small in scale (under 10,000 square feet) and must provide a public benefit. The opportunity lays out what it considers "construction activities," and it is broader than just building from scratch. It includes architectural conservation work on historic or culturally significant structures; modernization, such as renovations, repairs, expansions, and related equipment needed to make a building usable for the intended program; and new construction, including replacing an existing structure on the same site and also digging new wells or building new latrines. It also includes preservation, rehabilitation, and restoration approaches for older or historic sites, with the emphasis on maintaining integrity and character while allowing limited, sensitive upgrades (like mechanical, electrical, and plumbing work) needed for safety and function. For applicants proposing construction, the embassy requires inclusion of standard federal forms SF-424C (construction budget), SF-424D (assurances), and SF-271 (outlay report and request), available through Grants.gov. The guidance also flags a common risk in construction: material costs can rise between proposal submission and implementation, so budgets need to be built carefully to avoid projects stalling due to insufficient funds.

The opportunity also provides a detailed list of activities that are not eligible for funding, which helps clarify the program's boundaries. It will not fund partisan political activity, surveillance equipment, technical assistance programs (creating, continuing, or supplementing them), or projects that duplicate other U.S. Government efforts. It prohibits projects that would personally or politically benefit U.S. Government employees or their family members, and it bars a range of activities restricted by U.S. foreign assistance rules, including support linked to illegal drug trafficking, terrorism-related entities (including those covered under Executive Order 13224), and any activity otherwise barred under the Foreign Assistance Act or related appropriations. It also excludes lobbying, fundraising campaigns, scientific research, and projects primarily aimed at organizational growth or institutional development rather than community benefit.

Several practical spending restrictions are also spelled out. The program will not fund charitable donation-style activities, salaries for the implementing organization's staff, or purchases like alcohol, medicine, school uniforms, school fees, bursaries, personal expenses, and food parcels. It also bars support for abortion-related facilities and services, and it discourages used equipment purchases to avoid recurring maintenance problems, generally preferring new equipment unless it is simple and can be maintained locally with available spare parts. Luxury goods, gambling equipment, and toxic or unsafe products (such as hazardous chemicals and certain pesticides) are also prohibited. Additionally, it does not support projects tied to specific religious or military activities, or those related to police, prisons, or other law enforcement. Finally, it restricts support to private businesses and to private creches or public/government schools unless a Parent-Teacher Association is involved, and it does not support facilities used significantly by U.S. employees or their dependents.

Funding authority for the program is tied to FY 2019/2020 Economic Support Funds under the Foreign Assistance Act, administered by the U.S. Department of State. Overall, the ASSH program is best understood as a small, flexible tool that the U.S. Embassy can use to respond to community-identified needs with quick, visible impact, while reinforcing local participation and long-term self-reliance rather than ongoing dependence on outside support.

• The Department of State, U.S. Mission to Nigeria in the community development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2021 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 Dec 18, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 15, 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 7 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for NGA POLECON GR FY21 001 121820

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