US Embassy Accra: Ambassador’s Special Self-Help Grant for Ghanaian Community Development

The Ambassador’s Special Self-Help program started in 1964 in Togo and quickly spread across the continent as a grass-roots assistance program that allows U.S. embassies to respond quickly to local requests for small community-based development projects. The program provides assistance to small, community-led projects that promise to have an immediate impact to Ghanaian communities as part of an ongoing commitment by the U.S. government to support Ghanaian-driven development activities at the local level. Since the program began in Ghana, more than $2.2 million in awards have been disbursed to community development projects across the country.

The purpose of this grant program is to provide small-scale assistance to Ghanaian communities as part of an ongoing commitment by the U.S. government to support Ghanaian-driven development activities at the local level. This program is highly competitive, and funding is limited. Not all applications are awarded a grant. 

The project must be initiated by the community and should benefit the community by increasing income or improving living or social conditions. If the project is designed to generate income, it must be truly community-based and not a for-profit enterprise or sole proprietorship, and the project must have a plan for equitable distribution of any income generated.

This program is highly competitive, and funding is limited. Not all applications are awarded a grant. Applications are provided free of charge, and there is no cost to submit an application.