Small-scale Assistance for Zambian Community-based Organizations

Deadline: 28 February 2020

The U.S. Embassy in Zambia is seeking applications for its U.S. Ambassador’s Special Self-Help program (SSH).

The purpose of this grant program is to provide small-scale assistance to Zambian organizations as part of an ongoing commitment by the U.S. government to support Zambian-driven development activities at the local level.

Criteria

To be considered, applicants/projects must adhere to the following:

Must be a registered community-based organization (individuals and for-profit businesses are not eligible).
The proposed project should be a single activity that helps to improve basic economic or social conditions at the local level. Projects should be sustainable, long-lived, and benefit the greatest number of people possible.
Projects should respect the environmental norms for small projects and not adversely affect protected or other sensitive environmental areas, threatened or endangered species and their habitat.
Grantee community must be able to plan, execute, and maintain the proposed project with the U.S. Embassy providing financial support only. (The Embassy do not provide training or materials.)
Substantial community participation is required during the project. Contributions may include labor, materials, equipment, land, buildings, or money.
Applicant organization and project manager must be contactable and financially responsible. They must be able to manage and account for grant funds including ensuring that all required permits are in place prior to the project start date.
Project must not replace or supplement activities normally supplied by the Zambian government, such as building government schools or clinics, supplies for a district hospital, etc.
Project budgets must be reasonable; they generally range from $500 to a maximum of $15,000 and payments are denominated in ZMW. Requests for large-scale agriculture or construction projects or for expensive electronic equipment are less competitive.
Funding is limited to one project, which, once started, must be completed within ten (10) months or less. Funding is on a one-time basis only.
Successful applicants must have the ability to send one representative to Lusaka to attend the half-day grant signing ceremony and workshop.

The SSH funds cannot be used for:

A project activity that is not clearly identified and described;
A project involving a revolving loan projects. (Although applicants may use project profits for this purpose);
Projects partially funded by another donor or the government of Zambia;
More than one project for any organization;
Continuing former U.S. government projects (including SSH, USAID, PEPFAR);
Religious or military activities, as well as projects related to law enforcement sectors;
Recurring operating costs such as rent, salaries, administrative, electric bills or school fees;
Research, publishing materials, projects that solely provide trainings or sensitizations;
Creating, continuing, or supplementing technical assistance programs;
Pesticides, fungicides, or herbicides;
Personal training, education or travel, unless directly related to project;
Surveillance equipment, luxury goods or gambling equipment;
Office equipment or supplies, copiers, printers and computers;
Abortion equipment or medical services.