Opportunity Information: Apply for SMZ 500 FY23 01
The U.S. Ambassador's Special Self-Help Fund (SSH) is a small-grants program run by the U.S. Mission to Mozambique (U.S. Department of State) that finances community-driven projects designed to produce practical, lasting benefits at the local level. The Embassy invites proposals from Mozambican community organizations and groups that can demonstrate a clear community need, strong local participation, and a realistic plan to keep the results going after the one-time U.S. contribution ends. The program has operated in Mozambique since 1988 and is intended to let the Embassy respond quickly to local development requests; the broader SSH effort across Africa has also been supported through Africa Regional Economic Support Funds (noted as totaling $2 million in 2021).
At its core, SSH funding is meant to strengthen community self-reliance through projects that improve basic economic or social conditions in a village or local community. A defining requirement is that the community must actively participate and contribute to the project, such as through volunteer labor and time, donated land, and locally provided equipment or materials. The Embassy's funding is explicitly intended to be a one-time input rather than ongoing support, so proposals need to show that the activity is viable and sustainable in terms of financing, staffing, technical know-how, and access to any services needed to operate or maintain the project after completion. Projects must also follow environmental norms, meaning the proposed work should not harm protected or environmentally sensitive areas and should not threaten endangered species or their habitats. Another key boundary is timing: projects must be designed to be completed within twelve months.
The opportunity is structured as a discretionary grant (Funding Opportunity Number SMZ 500 FY23 01, CFDA 19.220). The listed award ceiling is $10,000 per award, with an expectation of about eight awards. While the solicitation emphasizes small, community-based development initiatives, it gives concrete examples of the types of activities that have been funded before. These include water-related projects such as boreholes, irrigation support, water collection systems, and storage tanks; health and hygiene efforts like constructing latrines at schools or clinics and establishing community gardens; environmental activities including recycling initiatives, solar panel systems, and organic fertilizer production; education improvements like building classrooms or setting up community libraries; and income-generating projects such as nut oil presses, maize milling facilities, clothing production equipment, carpentry tools, and brick-making machines.
A major part of the application and award requirements is performance measurement. Applicants are expected to design their project with clear performance indicators that are specific, measurable, achievable, reasonable, and time bound. Proposals should include baseline data where feasible and spell out targets for each expected result. Applicants also need to describe how data will be collected and verified, including the data sources, measurement methods, how often indicators will be measured, and the units of measure. When possible, indicators should allow results to be disaggregated by gender. After an award is made, the implementer must routinely report on all indicators included in the grant agreement, with quarterly reporting required along with analysis explaining progress and any obstacles affecting achievement of targets.
The solicitation is also strict about formatting and submission standards. Proposals must clearly address the program goals and objectives, and all documents must be submitted in English. Budgets must be presented in U.S. dollars. Applications must be formatted for A4 paper, single-spaced, using Calibri 14-point font with at least one-inch margins, and pages must be numbered. A complete application package must include the required federal forms available through Grants.gov: SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance - Organizations) and SF-424A (Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs). SF-424B (Assurances for Non-Construction Programs) is required for applicants who are not registered in SAM.gov. The notice also flags that Adobe Acrobat Reader may be needed to view the application documents.
Key dates included in the posting show it was created on May 30, 2023, with an original closing date of July 30, 2023.Apply for SMZ 500 FY23 01
- The Department of State, U.S. Mission to Mozambique in the other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "U.S. Ambassador's Special Self-Help Fund" 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 May 30, 2023.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 30, 2023. (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 $10,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 8 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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