Deadline: 12-Jun-24
U.S. Embassy Cotonou is pleased to announce an open competition for non-governmental organizations to apply for the Ambassador’s Resilience Fund (ARF).
The goal of the ARF is to strengthen the ability of local actors to address cross-border security threats by reinforcing social cohesion, enhancing community engagement capabilities, mitigating education, economic and environmental vulnerabilities in the region and in particular in at risk communities in Benin.
Objectives
- In support of the stated goal, project objectives may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Support young entrepreneurs create small businesses.
- Support agricultural production through provision of equipment, seeds, irrigation kits, and technical assistance to farmers.
- Support organizations that are strengthening local civil society networks, inclusive of women, youth and members of faith-based communities and marginalized groups, to meaningfully participate in conflict prevention, governmental reform, and peacebuilding efforts.
- Protect and promote the human and civil rights of members from marginalized groups including women and girls, religious and ethnic minority groups, and other communities at risk.
- Support the establishment of agri-food processing units to strengthen the employability of grassroots development organizations/cooperatives (particularly among groups most vulnerable to VEO recruitment).
- Construct boreholes and water points to promote access to potable water in vulnerable communities.
- Support capacity building of institutions monitoring, countering, and mitigating the impact of disinformation and propaganda by actors who threaten peace and stability.
- Support activities that enhance vulnerable populations participation in local governance.
Funding Information
- Length of performance period: 12 months
- Number of awards anticipated: 2-5 awards (dependent on amounts)
- Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $15,000 to a maximum of $25,000.
- Total available funding: $100,000 (pending availability of funds)
- Type of Funding: Fiscal Year 2024
Ineligible Projects
- Projects relating to partisan political activity.
- Charitable activities.
- Projects that support specific religious activities.
- Reproductive health, and family planning programming.
- Advocacy or scientific research.
- Projects intended primarily for the growth or institutional development of the organization.
- Projects that duplicate existing projects.
- Individual or single-family projects.
- Projects that would take more than one year to complete; and
- Vehicle or property purchases or any other than defined in this funding opportunity.
- Projects that support military or paramilitary activities.
Eligibility Criteria
- To be eligible to receive the Ambassador’s Resilience Fund, the applicant must be:
- Benin-based non-profit/non-governmental organization and possess a Registration Certificate (Récépissé de déclaration d’association » or « Extrait du Journal Officiel)
- Have a bank account in the name of the organization.
- Have an electronic bank account before U.S. Embassy Cotonou can grant an award.
- Must provide electronic funds transfer information for the recipient entity (name of bank, account name, account number and type of account). This cannot be the personal bankinformation of any individual representative. Banque de l’habitat, BSIC, and CLCAM accounts are not accepted.
- Have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI).
- Must NOT be funded or being considered for funding for the same activities by other donors or the Government of Benin.
- Other Eligibility Requirements
- Proposed projects must foster community self-reliance.
- Proposed project must aim to improve the socio-economic conditions of people living in local communities or villages.
- Proposed projects must be implemented in a short period (one year) and have a high impact on a large number of beneficiaries without recourse to new assistance from the program.
- Must involve significant participation of applicant organizations in cash, labor and/or material, and must be a project that the cooperative will be able to implement and maintain independently upon completion of project period.
- Applicants are only allowed to submit one proposal per organization/cooperative. If more than one proposal is submitted from an organization, all proposals from that institution will be considered ineligible for funding.
- Must deliver measurable results (e.g., show how activities led to positive changes within the community)
For more information, visit U.S. Embassy in Benin.