Opportunity Information: Apply for DOS KAM AMBSSH FY23
Mission Kampala Ambassador's Special Self-Help Fund 2024 is a small-grants opportunity run by the U.S. Embassy in Uganda through the Ambassador's Special Self-Help (SSH) Program, a long-running initiative (now in its 60th year) designed to support practical, community-driven projects with clear, immediate local benefits. The program is focused on small-scale initiatives that strengthen self-reliance and local development, widen civic space and civic engagement, and protect and promote human rights. For the 2024 cycle, the Embassy signals particular interest in projects tied to community gathering spaces and those serving vulnerable populations, efforts that advance gender equity and inclusion, initiatives that encourage civic participation, and projects that prevent or reduce the harmful impacts of climate change. The overall intent is straightforward: fund projects that help communities solve their own priority problems in ways they can maintain after the grant ends.
Eligibility is centered on established, Uganda-based, non-profit entities, including NGOs, community-based organizations, and grassroots groups that are registered at the local government level where they operate. Applicants are expected to demonstrate real need, community credibility, and prior experience successfully implementing work in the community. SSH projects must be locally initiated, locally administered, and genuinely community-based, with substantial community participation and contributions. Those contributions can be cash, labor, food, accommodation for skilled labor, transport, or locally sourced materials (for example, sand, gravel, bricks, fencing materials, or water). The program looks for projects that improve basic social or economic conditions at village or community level, deliver long-lived value, and reach as many beneficiaries as possible. Each organization may submit only one proposal, and funding is limited to one project per awardee that must be completed within 12 months or less. A key requirement is sustainability: the activity should continue functioning after the one-time U.S. grant contribution ends and should remain within the community's capacity to operate and maintain.
The funding parameters are modest by design. The published award ceiling is USD 10,000, with an anticipated total of about 10 awards. While a formal cost-share percentage is not required, proposals must still show meaningful community contributions as part of the design and implementation. The Embassy also emphasizes basic grant integrity expectations, including sound financial and administrative procedures that prevent waste, fraud, and abuse. Large-scale agriculture or construction proposals, or requests centered on expensive equipment, are explicitly described as not being priority for this program.
The NOFO also lists a substantial set of exclusions, which is important for applicants because proposals that include these costs or themes are unlikely to be competitive or may be ruled ineligible. SSH will not fund purchases of vehicles or motorcycles, office equipment and electronics (computers, phones, tablets, copiers, stereos), or previously owned equipment, luxury goods, or gambling equipment. It will not cover salaries, supervision costs for the supervising organization, routine operating costs, fuel, printing, land purchases, pesticides or herbicides, office supplies, or contingency lines. It also excludes projects with purely police, military, or cultural emphasis; religious projects that do not serve the whole community regardless of affiliation; personal businesses; scholarships, donations, loans, honorariums, and start-up money; HIV/AIDS projects; and projects focused on refugees or displaced persons (as these are covered by other assistance channels). Other disallowed categories include renovating facilities that are in disrepair due to neglect or lack of funds, projects that have already received SSH funding, projects that cannot continue after SSH support ends, activities that are the responsibility of government (the NOFO gives building hospitals as an example), and activities that could create community tension, harm people, or damage the environment. The restrictions also bar surveillance equipment, abortion-related facilities and services, payments to government officials, and expenses for ceremonies, parties, celebrations, or representational costs. Another major rule is no commingling: SSH funds cannot be mixed with other donor funding, international organizations, Government of Uganda funds, or other U.S. government programs, and proposals that are partially funded elsewhere are not allowed.
A strong application is expected to be concrete and implementation-ready. The Embassy highlights core proposal elements they want to see clearly laid out: objectives, expected impacts, key activities, the implementation strategy, monitoring mechanisms, and an itemized budget. Successful projects are typically community-initiated, designed to benefit the greatest number of people, and built around clear long-term goals with a realistic plan for ongoing operation. The NOFO suggests that projects do well when there is a capable project manager who is a long-term resident in the community, when an impartial umbrella organization can provide guidance if needed, and when there is strong coordination with local leaders and local government. Applicants are also encouraged to use materials and supplies that are maintainable locally and environmentally safe.
Submission is electronic and time-bound. Applications were due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Africa Time on June 4, 2024, and had to be sent by email to KampalaSelfHelp@state.gov. The Embassy required applicants to submit in Word and Excel formats (not PDF). A complete package includes the SSH 2024 application form (Annex A), the completed budget package (Annex B) with a detailed line-item budget, a budget narrative, and an activity logical framework with a project timeline. Applicants should also include their registration certificate (if available), a local approval letter (from the local development committee, tribal authority, and/or local town or district council), and original pro-forma invoices or quotations from intended suppliers. The requirement for pricing is strict: three quotes are required for each item.
Applications are screened for completeness and then evaluated by a Proposal Review Committee using criteria that prioritize impact and practicality. Key review factors include the quality of the project idea and its expected impact on the target community, the depth of community participation and contribution across design through monitoring and evaluation, outreach and value for money (often framed as cost per beneficiary), feasibility of delivering results within the one-year period, sustainability, and a transparent, participatory process for selecting beneficiaries. The Embassy also weighs organizational capacity and past performance. Finally, administrative eligibility rules apply: organizations must have a Unique Entity ID (UEI) or proof they have applied for one (obtained via SAM.gov), and any entity listed on the SAM Excluded Parties List is not eligible to apply or participate under an award. For help with technical submission questions, the Small Grants Office can be reached via KampalaSelfHelp@state.gov or by phone at 256 (0)414 306444.Apply for DOS KAM AMBSSH FY23
- The U.S. Mission to Uganda in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Mission Kampala Ambassador's Special Self-Help Fund 2024" 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 2024-04-09.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-06-04. (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 10 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Independent school districts, Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Individuals, Small businesses.
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