Opportunity Information: Apply for DOS MWI ASSHF FY20
The U.S. Ambassador's Special Self-Help (SSH) Fund, administered by the U.S. Embassy in Lilongwe under the U.S. Department of State, is a small-grants program designed to support practical, community-driven development projects across Malawi. Established in 1966, the fund focuses on improving basic economic and social conditions at the village and local community level, with an emphasis on projects that are initiated, managed, and sustained locally rather than driven from the outside. The underlying idea is to back small but meaningful investments that can make an immediate difference, while also building the habit and capacity for communities to organize, contribute, and replicate similar efforts on their own in the future.
For this funding round (FY 2020 Economic Support Funds), the program plans to award grants of up to USD 8,000 per project, depending on the availability of funds. The period of performance is 12 months, meaning projects are expected to be completed within a year. The opportunity is listed as a discretionary grant under the community development category (CFDA 19.700), and it is broadly open in eligibility ("unrestricted"), subject to any additional requirements stated in the full announcement. The U.S. Mission to Malawi is the issuing agency, and the legal authority for the funding is the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended.
The program's priority is to expand fundamental education and marketable job skills among Malawians and to strengthen entrepreneurial knowledge and opportunity. In practical terms, this includes projects that improve access to learning, training, and skill-building that can translate into livelihoods, as well as projects that help communities start or expand local business endeavors. A key theme running through the announcement is economic growth through entrepreneurship, investment, and trade, framed as part of a broader U.S. assistance goal of supporting a peaceful, prosperous, and secure future for Malawi. Proposals that directly address the needs of disadvantaged or marginalized populations are explicitly encouraged, signaling that the fund is interested in equity-focused, inclusion-minded community development.
A defining feature of the SSH Fund is the expectation of strong community participation and contribution. Projects must be community-based, locally initiated, and administered at the local level, and they must include significant community contributions, which can be provided as cash, labor, or materials. This requirement is not just a budgeting detail; it is central to the program's model of self-help, where outside funding is meant to catalyze local action rather than replace it. The fund aims to support efforts that communities have already prioritized and are prepared to invest in themselves.
Historically, the SSH Fund has a long track record in Malawi. Over more than 50 years, it has disbursed over USD 6 million to support 1,463 projects spanning all 28 districts. The announcement highlights the types of projects the fund has supported to illustrate the practical, community-scale nature of awards. Examples include construction of classroom blocks, under-five clinics, and school libraries; development of pregnant mothers' waiting shelters and girls' hostels; installation of biogas digesters; eco-stove production; and projects expanding access to clean and safe drinking water through boreholes and shallow wells. These examples show that while the current funding round emphasizes education, job skills, and entrepreneurship, the fund has also supported related community infrastructure that improves health, safety, and basic services when those needs are locally identified and paired with strong community ownership.
Administrative details included in the listing indicate the funding opportunity number (DOS MWI ASSHF FY20), an anticipated number of awards (up to 250), an award ceiling of USD 8,000, and key dates showing the opportunity was created on April 7, 2021, with an original closing date of May 31, 2021. Overall, the SSH Fund is best understood as a long-running, locally grounded small-grants mechanism meant to help Malawian communities carry out concrete projects that strengthen education and employable skills, expand entrepreneurship, and reinforce self-reliance through meaningful local contribution and leadership.Apply for DOS MWI ASSHF FY20
- The Department of State, U.S. Mission to Malawi in the community development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "U.S. Ambassador’s Special Self-Help Fund, U.S. Embassy Lilongwe" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.700.
- This funding opportunity was created on Apr 07, 2021.
- Applicants must submit their applications by May 31, 2021. (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 $8,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 250 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.
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| Funding Opportunity |
|---|
| Angola - Ambassador’s Special Self-Help Fund Apply for DOS ANGOLA SSH FY21 01 Funding Number: DOS ANGOLA SSH FY21 01 Agency: Department of State, U.S. Mission to Angola Category: Community Development Funding Amount: $10,000 |
| U.S. Embassy Gaborone Ambaassador's Special Self-Help Fund Program Apply for DOS GABORONE GR ASSHF FY21 Funding Number: DOS GABORONE GR ASSHF FY21 Agency: Department of State, U.S. Mission to Botswana Category: Community Development Funding Amount: $25,000 |
| Fiscal Year 2021 Small Dollar Loan Program Apply for CDFI 2021 SDL Funding Number: CDFI 2021 SDL Agency: US Department of the Treasury, Community Development Financial Institutions Category: Community Development Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| U. S. AMBASSADOR'S SPECIAL SELF-HELP FUND Apply for SMZ 500 FY21 01 Funding Number: SMZ 500 FY21 01 Agency: Department of State, U.S. Mission to Mozambique Category: Community Development Funding Amount: $10,000 |
| FY 2021 Citizenship and Integration Grant Program: Refugee and Asylee Integration Services (RAIS) Apply for CI CET 21 002 Funding Number: CI CET 21 002 Agency: Department of Homeland Security, Office of Procurement Operations - Grants Division Category: Community Development Funding Amount: $300,000 |
| FY 2021 Citizenship and Integration Grant Program; Citizenship Instruction and Naturalization Application Services Apply for CI CET 21 001 Funding Number: CI CET 21 001 Agency: Department of Homeland Security, Office of Procurement Operations - Grants Division Category: Community Development Funding Amount: $8,500,000 |
| FY 2021 Citizenship and Integration Grant Program: Refugee and Asylee Integration Services (RAIS) Apply for DHS 21 CIS 010 003 Funding Number: DHS 21 CIS 010 003 Agency: Department of Homeland Security, Office of Procurement Operations - Grants Division Category: Community Development Funding Amount: $1,000,000 |
| FY 2021 Citizenship and Integration Grant Program; Citizenship Instruction and Naturalization Application Services Apply for DHS 21 CIS 010 002 Funding Number: DHS 21 CIS 010 002 Agency: Department of Homeland Security, Office of Procurement Operations - Grants Division Category: Community Development Funding Amount: $8,200,000 |
| Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program Apply for FR 6400 N 35 Funding Number: FR 6400 N 35 Agency: US Department of Housing and Urban Development Category: Community Development Funding Amount: $15,000,000 |
| USAID/Colombia Indigenous Peoples and Afro-Colombian Activity Apply for 72051421RFA00003 Funding Number: 72051421RFA00003 Agency: Agency for International Development, Colombia USAID-Bogota Category: Community Development Funding Amount: $60,000,000 |
| KEM (Maya-K’iche’ word that means “weaving”) STRENGTHENING ENGAGEMENT WITH YOUTH AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLE Apply for 72052021RFA00008 Funding Number: 72052021RFA00008 Agency: Agency for International Development, Guatemala USAID-Guatemala City Category: Community Development Funding Amount: $2,000,000 |
| Democratic Elections and Political Process (DEPP) LWA Apply for 7200AA21RFA00022 Funding Number: 7200AA21RFA00022 Agency: Agency for International Development Category: Community Development Funding Amount: $35,000,000 |
| U.S. AMBASSADOR’S SPECIAL SELF-HELP FUND Apply for SMZ 500 FY21 01A Funding Number: SMZ 500 FY21 01A Agency: Department of State, U.S. Mission to Mozambique Category: Community Development Funding Amount: $10,000 |
| Tanzania Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) Next Generation Apply for 72062121RFA00003 Funding Number: 72062121RFA00003 Agency: Agency for International Development, Tanzania USAID-Dar es Salaam Category: Community Development Funding Amount: $28,500,000 |
| Regional Toxicology Liaison Demonstration Project Apply for 693JJ921R000022 Funding Number: 693JJ921R000022 Agency: Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Category: Community Development Funding Amount: $675,000 |
| Veterans Cemetery Grants Program Apply for VA NCA VCGP 2022 Funding Number: VA NCA VCGP 2022 Agency: Department of Veterans Affairs, VA National Cemetery Administration Category: Community Development Funding Amount: $45,000,000 |
| Support for the socio-economic development of communities in Niger Apply for NG SSH FY21 Funding Number: NG SSH FY21 Agency: Department of State, U.S. Mission to Niger Category: Community Development Funding Amount: $10,000 |
| Fiscal Year 2021 Capital Magnet Fund Program Apply for CDFI 2021 CMF Funding Number: CDFI 2021 CMF Agency: US Department of the Treasury, Community Development Financial Institutions Category: Community Development Funding Amount: $57,000,000 |
| U.S. Embassy Public Diplomacy Grants Program Apply for 4216 22 001 Funding Number: 4216 22 001 Agency: Department of State, U.S. Mission to Malta Category: Community Development Funding Amount: $10,000 |
| People to People Peacebuilding in Sierra Leone Apply for USAID GUINEA NPI APS 720OAA19APS00012 Funding Number: USAID GUINEA NPI APS 720OAA19APS00012 Agency: Agency for International Development, Guinea USAID-Conakry Category: Community Development Funding Amount: $2,284,239 |
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