The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Pakistan introduced its eight-year Small Grants and Ambassador’s Fund Program (SGAFP) on August 31, 2010 under the U.S. Enhanced Partnership Agreement with Pakistan. The $50 million national program provides grants to NGOs, grassroots/community-based organizations, and private sector organizations from all over Pakistan including AJK, Gilgit-Baltistan, and FATA to support their self-help initiatives and strengthen the fabric of civil society in Pakistan. This program is implemented by the National Rural Support Programme (NRSP).
Established in November 1991, NRSP is the largest Rural Support Programme in Pakistan in terms of scale and coverage. It has proven its success in its social mobilization philosophy and approach and demonstrated experiences of working with and fostering a countrywide network of grass roots community organizations and linking them with public and private service delivery organizations.
NRSP works in all four provinces of Pakistan as well as in Azad Jammu & Kashmir and is operational in 67 Districts. Its activities are managed through 9 regional offices, 190 field units and more than 730 village branches. It has organized about 3.2 million poor households into a network of over 400,000 Community Organizations. With sustained incremental growth, it is emerging as Pakistan’s leading engine for poverty reduction and rural development.
The Small Grants and Ambassador’s Fund Program has two components. The first component, Small Grants, allows USAID to manage the flow of unsolicited proposals to contribute to the Mission’s overall objectives. The second component, the Ambassador’s Fund, intends to enhance the Chief of Mission’s outreach to the private sector and community groups to achieve shared objectives. SGAFP has concluded grant processing under both components.
Since its establishment in 2010, the USAID Small Grants and Ambassador’s Fund Program has provided US $36 million through 346 projects, improving the quality of life of over two million people in Pakistan.