U.S. Embassy Funding Opportunities

The U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa offers critical financial support to projects initiated by Ethiopian NGOs, community- and faith-based groups, and civic associations that promote the well-being of the Ethiopian people. The two avenues for providing this grassroots assistance are the Ambassador’s Special Self-Help Program (SSHP) and the Democracy and Human Rights Fund (DHRF). Distinct from larger-scale assistance carried out by other parts of the United States Government, these funds support small-scale, short-term, community-based activities designed to bring about tangible improvements in people’s lives.

The SSHP funds community-initiated projects that support education, income generating activities and water/sanitation initiatives, as well as other activities that improve living conditions or increase income. The DHRF funds activities that support democratic institutions, promote political pluralism, and protect and advance human rights.
In the six years between 2003 and 2008, the Ambassador’s Special Self-Help Program and the Democracy and Human Rights Fund have together granted USD 1,004,337.00 to 102 projects that benefited 5,580,969 people in all regions of Ethiopia. The impact has been tremendous.

Projects supported by the SSHP and DHRF have built schools where none previously existed; provided clean, accessible water so women and children spend fewer hours fetching water; provided vocational training and equipment so poor girls can stop living on the streets; built housing so homeless veterans and their families no longer have to live in a trash dump; protected little girls from Female Genital Mutilation; provided disabled persons with manually-operated wheelchairs and elbow crutches; reduced conflict between opposing ethnic groups; built bridges so swollen rivers do not prevent people from getting needed medical care or selling their wares on market day; published tri-lingual books to improve literacy among children who speak Amharic, Oromiffa and Tigrigna; and supported income-generating activities that enabled poor single mothers to increase their earnings and sufficiently care for their families.

If your project promises to improve people’s lives in the ways described above, we invite you to apply for funding.

Note: The Democracy and Human Rights Fund has been suspended temporarily and is not accepting applications until further notice.

 “On behalf of the American people, I am honored to support these Ethiopian groups who are working to improve the lives of their communities. Grassroots programs like this are one important part of U.S. efforts to strengthen bilateral economic relations, create jobs, and contribute to a more prosperous future for Ethiopians.”

-- Ambassador Yamamoto at the Small Projects Signing Ceremony on December 11, 2008