Somalia Operational Mentorship and Sustainment Capacity Building | DFOP0017536

Opportunity Information: Apply for DFOP0017536

The Somalia Operational Mentorship and Sustainment Capacity Building opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number DFOP0017536) is a discretionary U.S. government grant/cooperative agreement focused on strengthening the Somali National Army Danab (SNA-Danab) through continued and expanded operational mentorship. The core aim is to improve how SNA-Danab plans, directs, and executes mission command functions, with mentorship centered at the brigade level and below. In practice, this means helping Danab leaders and staff build repeatable processes for command and control, decision-making, planning, and operational execution so units can operate more effectively and more independently over time.

The program emphasizes three connected lines of effort. First, it supports stabilization mechanisms intended to help secure Somali territory, which implies mentorship aligned with operations that contribute to holding and securing areas, reducing instability, and supporting broader stabilization objectives. Second, it includes accountability measures designed to promote self-sustainment and readiness, pointing to systems and practices that improve responsibility for personnel, equipment, logistics, reporting, compliance, and readiness tracking so the force can maintain capability without constant external inputs. Third, it targets operational capacity improvements that strengthen force management and overall effectiveness, which commonly includes better operational planning, task organization, coordination, performance assessment, and the practical management of people and resources to sustain operational tempo.

This opportunity is administered by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs - Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement (PM/WRA). The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, meaning the U.S. government typically expects substantial involvement during implementation compared with a standard grant (for example, closer coordination on plans, milestones, and monitoring). The funding activity category is listed as Education, reflecting the mentorship and capacity-building nature of the work rather than direct combat support. The CFDA/Assistance Listing number provided is 19.979.

The posted award ceiling is USD 10,000,000. The opportunity lists expected awards as 0, which often indicates the agency has not committed to a specific number of awards at the time of posting or is leaving flexibility based on proposals and available funding. The opportunity was created on 2025-08-06, and the original application closing date is 2025-09-03.

Eligibility is broadly described in the narrative to include U.S.-based nonprofit/NGOs (with or without 501(c)(3) status), foreign-based nonprofit/NGOs, public international organizations, foreign public organizations, and U.S. for-profit organizations or businesses. However, the structured eligibility field specifically lists nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education). Because those two eligibility statements do not fully match, applicants would typically treat the structured eligibility and the full notice text as the controlling sources and seek clarification from the funding agency if there is any doubt about whether a particular organization type may apply.

Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a capacity-building and advisory effort intended to professionalize and institutionalize SNA-Danab brigade-and-below mission command and sustainment practices, with an explicit focus on stabilization-supporting operations, accountability and readiness systems, and improved force management that enables the unit to sustain performance with reduced external support.

• The Bureau of Political-Military Affairs - WRA in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Somalia Operational Mentorship and Sustainment Capacity Building" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.979.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-08-06.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-09-03. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $10,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

Apply for DFOP0017536

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: