Ambassador’s Resilience Fund Program – Ghana (Grant $10,000 – $100,000)

Deadline: 14th August, 2023,11:59 PM GMT

The U.S. Embassy in Accra, Ghana (Embassy Accra) is pleased to announce an open competition for organizations to submit a project proposal for its Ambassador’s Resilience Fund (ARF) Program. The purpose of this competition notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) is to provide a flexible mechanism to build community resilience against instability and insecurity in Ghana, especially in the northern regions. Moreover, the fund aims to strengthen the ability of local actors to address cross-border security threats by reinforcing social cohesion, enhancing community engagement capabilities, and mitigating education, economic, and environmental vulnerabilities in the region. This opportunity is subject to availability of funds and does not commit the U.S. Government to making an award.

The Ambassador’s Resilience Fund (ARF) Program awards grants to registered non-governmental, non-profit, community-based organizations to implement programs focused on addressing the underlying grievances and vulnerable conditions of communities at risk of violence and conflict. The ARF seeks to accomplish three objectives, which compliment ongoing U.S. Government efforts through its Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stability (SPCPS) to strengthen security within and beyond the country’s borders. Priority consideration is given to holistic projects that address the security challenges and improve basic economic conditions or social cohesion at the village level and benefit many people.

Priority Regions:

Upper East, Upper West, North East, Savannah, and Northern Regions, Ghana

Priority Objectives:
The goal of the project is to prevent vulnerable groups of young men and women from being recruited into violent extremist organizations (VEOs) by promoting resilience against VEO outreach and social cohesion through access to education, improving livelihoods, food security and economic opportunities, particularly in at-risk communities. Suitable proposals should address at least one of the following objectives and sub-objectives through inclusive programs specially targeting youth and women.

• Objective 1: Social cohesion is strengthened within and between at-risk communities.
• Objective 2: Improved government responsiveness, inclusion, and accountability to at-risk communities.
• Objective 3: Enhanced security force responsiveness and accountability to at-risk communities.

Priority Sub-Objectives for the Region:

• Improved and equitable access to sustainable livelihoods and economic opportunity.
• Reduced community tensions and stigmatization between and among historically marginalized communities.
• Improved access to education and digitalization
• Strengthened community leaders and civil society actors’ negotiation and mediation skills with security forces

Potential examples of projects could be:

1) Support for young entrepreneurs’ cooperatives in the creation and development of businesses or cooperatives;

2) Protect and promote the rights of members of marginalized groups, including women and girls, religious and ethnic minority groups, and other community at risk, including by increasing their participation in all aspects of conflict prevention, stabilization, and peacebuilding ; and

3) Engage communities and local government to develop action plans to address and respond to community issues. Proposals do not have to follow only these examples.

Funding
Performance period: 12 months or less
Award amounts: Minimum $10,000, maximum $100,000
Funding instrument type: Grant
Anticipated project start date: October 2023
Type of funding: Economic Support Funds (ESF)
This notice is subject to the availability of funding.

 Eligibility
There are two basic eligibility requirements:

• The applicant must be a Ghana-registered non-governmental, non-profit, community-based, or international organization.
  • Registered non-governmental organizations, trusts, associations, cooperatives, women’s groups, schools, churches, etc. meet this eligibility requirement.
• Applicants must display sound management capabilities in the form of financial and administrative procedures that protect against fraud, waste, and abuse.

For more information and application.