The United States Department of State has announced a funding programme worth $3.5 million, estimated at about ₦5 billion, to support efforts aimed at improving the documentation and reporting of religious freedom violations in Nigeria.
Details released by the Office of International Religious Freedom under the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labour showed that the initiative is targeted at organisations with the capacity to strengthen reporting on religion-related attacks and abuses across the country.
According to a Notice of Funding Opportunity issued on May 22, 2026, the programme will last between two and four years. The State Department expects to make one award through either a grant or a cooperative agreement.
The agency said the project is intended to improve the monitoring and documentation of abuses allegedly committed by both government and non-government actors.
“The Office of International Religious Freedom announces an open competition for organisations interested in submitting applications for projects that improve documentation and reporting efforts on religious freedom abuses in Nigeria, for accountability, advocacy, and memorialisation,” the notice stated.
The document cited violence attributed to Boko Haram, ISIS-West Africa, Fulani ethnic militias and other armed groups. It noted that both Christian and Muslim communities have been affected by such attacks.
“Documenters, human rights and religious freedom advocates, religious leaders and community members, academics, journalists, and survivors have contributed to an evidence base that illustrates the extreme levels of violence perpetrated by Boko Haram, ISIS-West Africa, Fulani ethnic militias, and other armed actors against Christians and Muslims,” the notice said.
The State Department also expressed concern over what it described as insufficient responses by Nigerian authorities to attacks targeting civilians and faith-based communities.
“Civil society reports indicate that authorities regularly fail to respond in a timely or effective manner to violent attacks against civilians and faith communities, and particularly attacks against Christians,” the document stated.
It added, “This leads to widespread impunity for violence which encourages more violence, leading to further abuses and displacements.”
The notice further alleged that some Nigerian security personnel had carried out operations in places of worship while pursuing suspected criminals.
“There are also credible reports of Nigerian security personnel raiding places of worship and injuring clergy and congregants in search of alleged criminals,” it said.
The funding programme was linked to President Donald Trump’s decision to designate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” over issues relating to religious freedom.
“President Trump’s decision to designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern placed a spotlight on the severity of these longstanding and worsening problems,” the document stated.
According to the Office of International Religious Freedom, organisations seeking the grant must focus on improving accountability through “monitoring, documenting, and reporting of such abuses committed by either state or non-state actors in Nigeria.”
Applicants are expected to identify at least four states for implementation, with priority attention given to communities in the Middle Belt region.
The programme is open to non-profit organisations based in the United States and abroad, public international organisations, higher institutions and for-profit entities. However, the State Department indicated a preference for non-profit organisations.
Applications are scheduled to close at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on July 9, 2026.
President Trump designated Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern in November 2025 over allegations of persecution against Christians.
The Nigerian government has consistently rejected claims of religious persecution. Authorities maintain that insecurity affects citizens across religious lines and have reiterated their commitment to cooperation with the United States on counterterrorism efforts and security sector reforms.
