Grants / Department of State / U.S. Mission to Zimbabwe

0012021: Ambassador’s Special Self-Help (SSH) Program – Africa Regional Democracy Fund (ARDF)

Closed Closed March 14, 2021 Opportunity 0012021 ☆ Save

This grant is closed. A newer notice from the same program is open now: FY26 DRL/IRF Global Request for Statements of Interest (DFOP0019929). Status: Closes December 7, 2026 (30 days left). It is in our archive of U.S. Mission to Zimbabwe notices from 2021.

• Award ceiling$400,000
• Award floor$400,000
• Total funding$400,000
• Expected awards1
• Cost sharingNot required
• Funding typeGrant

Key dates

Who can apply

This opportunity was open to the applicants described in the notice.

• Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)

Preference is given to local NGOs to encourage capacity building for smaller, local partners.• The applicant must be a Zimbabwe registered non-governmental, non-profit, or community-based organization.o Registered trusts, associations, schools, churches, etc. meet this eligibility requirement.o Individuals, businesses, and government entities do NOT qualify.• All applications must include and identify a significant community contribution (cash, labor, and/or materials).• Applicants must display sound management in the form of financial and administrative procedures that protect against fraud, waste, and abuse.• 2020-funded organization or projects for continued funding are not eligible. The fund is not intended for recurring programs

Is this a realistic fit?

• Past International Programs to Support Democracy, Human Rights and Labor awards averaged $31.2 million; this notice allows up to $400,000 per award.
• Most of the program's money (99% over five years) went to nonprofits.
• No cost sharing or match is required.

What the grant funds

The U.S. Embassy Harare of the U.S. Department of State announces a limited competition for the African Regional Democracy Fund (ARDF). The Bureau of African Affairs, via ARDF for 2021 is intended to strengthen democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms, and good governance. ARDF provides limited foreign assistance resources to support programming that strengthens democratic institutions, promotes human rights and fundamental freedoms, and promotes accountable, transparent, and responsive governance in sub-Saharan Africa. Please follow all instructions below. Priority Region: Zimbabwe Program Objectives: Programming supported with ARDF resources should address one or more of the following program objectives: 1. Promote Accountable Transparent, and Responsive Governance • Support local civil society entities, including think tanks, academic research, watchdog groups, media associations, journalists, and other civil society actors to advocate for legislative transparency, accountability, and oversight at all levels of government. • Provide specialized, technical support to support democratic governance, with a particular focus on legislative functions. 2. Promote Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms • Support the protection, mitigation of, and responses to human rights violations and abuses, in particular human rights violations affecting the most vulnerable, by strengthening human rights frameworks, institutions, and oversight. • Support to local, and key international, human rights organizations and institutions to promote human rights systems, policies, and protection, with particular focus on women and youth. • Strengthen the capacity of community-based organizations, including faith-based organizations; and resident, vendor, or other associations through civic education and citizen participation to advocate for human rights and democratic norms that advance public involvement in civic life. 3. Support Democratic Processes and Promotion of Strong Democratic Norms • Support local civil society to hold government accountable for free, fair, and credible electoral and political processes. • Support throughout the electoral cycle, not only the voting process, at the national, regional, or local level.

Category: Other.

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Apply under the newer notice, DFOP0019929, which is open now.

The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.