US Religious Freedom Funding Boosts Documentation Efforts Across Nigeria

[Awwal]

The United States Department of State has announced a new funding programme worth $3.5 million to support the documentation and reporting of religious freedom violations in Nigeria. The initiative is designed to help organisations collect and preserve evidence of abuses related to religion across the country.

The programme is being managed by the Office of International Religious Freedom under the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labour. The U.S. government is inviting qualified organisations to apply for the grant and contribute to improving the monitoring of religious freedom issues in Nigeria.

According to the funding announcement released on May 22, 2026, the project will last between 24 and 48 months. The State Department expects to award one grant or cooperative agreement to an organisation capable of carrying out the work effectively.

The main goal of the programme is to strengthen accountability, advocacy, and memorialisation efforts by improving how religious freedom abuses are documented and reported. This includes gathering reliable information about violations committed by both government and non-government actors.

In its announcement, the State Department said it is seeking organisations interested in developing projects that will improve the collection and reporting of evidence related to religious freedom violations. The information gathered will support justice efforts, public awareness, and historical records of such incidents.

The funding notice highlighted the impact of violence linked to groups such as Boko Haram, ISIS-West Africa, Fulani ethnic militias, and other armed groups. It noted that both Christians and Muslims have suffered from attacks, while human rights advocates, religious leaders, academics, journalists, community members, and survivors have played important roles in documenting these incidents.

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