The Embassy of the United States of America is pleased to announce the opening of the public competition for access to the Ambassador’s Special Self-Help Fund, which aims to provide funding to cover activities of organizations working in community development projects.

This year, the Embassy will consider supporting projects for community development from national non-governmental  organizations (NGOs) in the fields of gender equality, youth empowerment, and business entrepreneurship.

The Ambassador’s Special Self-Help Fund can be used to address financing gaps for new projects, which were not taken into account in broader multilateral programs. To this end, the budget plan of the project must be submitted in detail and reflect the activities to be implemented with a value not exceeding $18,000 USD.

Project proposals submitted for consideration must include a description of the goods or services being purchased, the justification of the request, identify the agency responsible for implementing and managing funds, and other necessary supporting information. The attached fact sheet provides additional information on this point.

Proposals must be submitted between June 24, 2015 and July 24, 2015. Please forward the proposals to the SPECIAL AMBASSADOR’s FUND FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS at the Political and Economic Section of the U.S. Embassy – Houari Boumedienne street # 32 , Miramar Luanda , Angola , or by email: COORDINATORGRANTSLUA@STATE.GOV , or call the number : 222 64 1255 .

Special Self-help Fund (SSH) Procedures

All organizations interested in applying to the SSH fund must comply with the following requirements and provide the requested documentation.

The proposal must include:

1. Project title
2. Number of beneficiaries of the project (directly or indirectly)
3. Duration of the project (must be implemented in less than a year. Please include the date the project is expected to start and the estimated date of completion)
4. Statement of the problem that the project will address
5. Description of the program (clear objectives)

• has to be a community-based project with a significant Community contribution (volunteer time, donated land and labor, equipment, materials, etc)
• Initiated and administered locally
• Activities should be within the local community capacity to implement
• Not related to projects of public institutions or the Government
• Be environmentally friendly
• Do not use for maintenance of equipment (computers, laboratories etc.)
• Do not use in projects with order or religious activity
• Not to use for payment of wages

6. Organization Experience
7. Proposal of intervention (how the Organization will solve the problem? What is the expected impact?)
8. Plan to monitor the implementation of the project and the impact of the measure.
9. Amount requested with accompanying budget (we prefer to fund projects with budgets between $5,000-15,000 USD)
10. Implementation schedule

If your organization’s project is considered to receive funding for SSH, you’ll need the following:

1. Apply for a DUNS Number
2. Coordinate field visits for representatives of SSH
3. Submit funds request letter (on letterhead of the Organization)
4. Provide bank details

Once your project is running, you will need:

1. Coordinate a field trip accompanied by representatives of SSH
2. Submit updated reports and project financial summary

Once the project is completed, it will be necessary to:

1. Coordinate a last field trip for the closure of the project accompanied by representatives of SSH.
2. Present a final report on how the funding was used and what impact the project had on the community.