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Ambassadors' Special Self Help Fund

Program Information

Popular name

N/A

Program Number

19.220

Sub-agency

N/A

Program objective

The U.S. Ambassadors' Special Self-Help program is a grass-roots assistance program that allows U.S. embassies to respond quickly to local requests for small community-based development projects. This Self-Help fund provides small, short-term grants to community groups that are working to improve the basic economic and social conditions of their communities. Special Self-Help projects help to improve basic economic or social conditions at the local community, or village level, and have long-lived value.

Program expenditures, by FY (2023 - 2025)

This chart shows obligations for the program by fiscal year. All data for this chart was provided by the administering agency and sourced from SAM.gov, USASpending.gov, and Treasury.gov.

For more information on each of these data sources, please see the About the data page.

Additional program information

  1. 2019

    Two awards improved sanitary conditions by bringing a potable water system to two Nigerian villages, reaching 8,000 people.

    An Ambassador’s Special Self Help award established a community library in Malawi, providing access to books to 13,500 people.

Single Audit Applies (2 CFR Part 200 Subpart F):

For additional information on single audit requirements for this program, review the current Compliance Supplement.

OMB is working with the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) and agency offices of inspectors general to include links to relevant oversight reports. This section will be updated once this information is made available.

Guidelines for grants and cooperative agreements are distributed in conjunction with the notice of funding opportunity and/or Notice of Award. The program requires significant community contributions in cash, labor, or materials.

  1. Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act Foreign Assistance Act.

Program details

Program types

Eligible beneficiaries

  • Other private institution/organization
  • Other public institution/organization

Additional resources