Community Grants
The U.S. Embassy has a variety of funding opportunities available to Ethiopians. In addition, Ethiopian organizations may contact USAID Ethiopia about broader development program opportunities. Embassy opportunities include the following:
The office of the Ambassador’s Community Grants Program was established in 2003 to administer grants for projects that foster community development. Distinct from larger-scale United States Government assistance, these funds support projects initiated by Ethiopian NGOs, community- and faith-based groups, and civic associations focused on small-scale community-based activities designed to bring about tangible and immediate improvements in people’s lives.
The program, which includes funding from the Ambassador’s Special Self-Help Program (SSHP) and the Julia Taft Fund for Refugees, as well as others, has granted US $4.3 million to 300 projects that benefited more than 7 million people in all regions of Ethiopia. The application and evaluation processes vary, but all programs provide year-long grants ranging from $10,000 up to $25,000. Each program is designed to offer grants unique in nature that serve separate diplomatic and aid functions.
For questions on any of the above grant opportunities, please contact the Community Grants Office of the U.S. Embassy Addis Ababa at: AddisCommunityGrants@state.gov.
Background
Grants offered through the Community Grants Office have helped build schools where children were previously unable to attend, provided school meals to improve enrollment; HIV/AIDS education to vulnerable groups; implemented programs to educate people on the dangers of female genital mutilation and child marriage; provided clean water and improved hygiene and sanitation by constructing wells, pit latrines, and clothes-washing facilities; and supported income-generating activities that enabled single women, youth and people living with HIV/AIDS to increase their earnings sufficiently to care for their children.
The projects helped people with disabilities with access to information technology through providing assistive devices, opportunities for alternative income generation, and the purchase of braille embosser, which enabled production of textbooks and children’s books as Braille teaching tools.
Ambassador’s Special Self-Help Program (SSHP)
The SSHP community-initiated projects support education, income-generating activities, gender and disability focused interventions, as well as other activities that improve the living conditions of underserved people.
- Self-Help activities should have a significant impact, benefiting the greatest number of people possible. Projects that directly benefit a limited number of people are discouraged.
- Activities must help improve basic economic or social conditions at the local community or village level.
- Self-Help projects must also be viable and sustainable in terms of finance, personnel support (i.e. teachers for schoolrooms), and necessary expertise and services.
- Self-Help activities must also fall within the ability of the local community to implement. Activities that are too complex should be avoided.
Julia Taft Fund for Refugees
The Julia Taft Fund for Refugees (also known as the Ambassador’s Refugee Fund) is an initiative by the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Population Refugees and Migration (PRM) to respond to critical unmet needs of refugees. Since 2000, the Fund has supported projects that fill gaps in refugee service. Proposals should be for programs that can be met locally and are not being addressed by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), other international organizations, or non-governmental organizations already receiving U.S. government funding.
Public Affairs Grants
The Embassy Public Affairs Section can provide small grants to Ethiopian individuals and non-government organizations to support Embassy goals, but in particular programs that support higher education, civil society, human rights, youth engagement, girls’ and women’s empowerment, and cultural exchange and cooperation. Please contact pasaddis@state.gov if you have a concrete proposal.
All applicants must use the U.S. State Department Standard Forms of SF424 (Application), SF424A (Budget) and SF424B (Assurance for non-construction projects) in addition to their own proposal. The forms can be found on https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html#sortby=1.
Annual Programs Statement (APS)
The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy announces an annual competition for individuals, non-governmental organizations, think tanks, public educational institutions, and public international organizations in Ethiopia and in the United States to submit proposals that fall into one of seven thematic areas. Public diplomacy programming strengthens cultural ties between the U.S. and Ethiopia through cultural and exchange programming that highlights shared values and promotes bilateral cooperation. All programs must include an American cultural element, or connection with American experts, organizations, or institutions in a specific field that will promote increased understanding of U.S. policy and perspectives.
Community Grant Programs – Annual Program Statement (APS)
For information on the Ambassador’s Self-Help Program, please review the Call for Applications and apply using the SSH Application Form, Budget Sample, and Project Timeline Sample by June 30th of the current year.
Open Grant Opportunities
-
FY 2023 Notice of Funding Opportunity for NGO Programs Benefiting Refugees in Ethiopia and Kenya
- We are accepting applications to the Ambassador’s Self-Help Program on a rolling basis. If you would like to submit a proposal, please review the APS Call for Applications and use the following forms to apply: SSH Application Form, Budget Sample, and Project Timeline Sample.
- Call for an open Notification of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to implement the Community-Led Monitoring (CLM) activity (Application deadline July 31,2023 )
