Applications Open for Mentorship and Income Generation Support for Women (Tajikistan)

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is inviting NGOs and civil society organisations in Tajikistan to submit proposals under the CHANGE Programme to support vulnerable women in Bokhtar, Panjakent, and Rudaki. The opportunity focuses on mentorship, entrepreneurship, business development, income generation, and economic empowerment to strengthen women’s resilience and reduce vulnerability to gender-based violence.

What Is the UNDP CHANGE Programme Opportunity?

The UNDP CHANGE Programme is seeking qualified NGOs and civil society organisations to deliver economic empowerment and entrepreneurship support for vulnerable women in Tajikistan.

The selected organisations will help women develop sustainable income-generating activities and strengthen their ability to participate in economic life.

The programme combines:

• Entrepreneurship development
• Business mentorship
• Income-generation support
• Technical assistance
• Capacity building
• Business development services
• Economic resilience
• Civil society strengthening

The activities will be implemented in Bokhtar, Panjakent, and Rudaki.

What Are the Main Objectives?

The opportunity has two interconnected goals: supporting vulnerable women economically and strengthening the organisations that provide this support.

Key objectives include:

• Helping women establish or strengthen income-generating activities.
• Improving women’s entrepreneurship and business skills.
• Providing mentorship and business development assistance.
• Increasing access to technical support.
• Strengthening women’s economic resilience.
• Reducing vulnerability to gender-based violence through improved economic security.
• Building CSO capacity to design and deliver sustainable economic empowerment programmes.
• Strengthening cooperation between civil society, government, international organisations, and the private sector.

What Activities Can Be Supported?

Selected NGOs or CSOs may be responsible for delivering activities such as:

Mentorship and Coaching

Women can receive practical guidance to help them develop business ideas, improve existing enterprises, and overcome challenges.

Entrepreneurship Development

Support can focus on developing entrepreneurial knowledge and practical skills needed to establish sustainable income-generating activities.

Business Development Support

Activities may include assistance with:

• Business planning
• Market understanding
• Financial management
• Business skills
• Enterprise development
• Income-generation strategies

Technical Assistance

Beneficiaries may receive specialised assistance based on their business or livelihood needs.

Capacity Building for CSOs

The programme also seeks to strengthen local organisations so they can design and implement sustainable economic empowerment initiatives for vulnerable groups.

Why Does Economic Empowerment Matter?

Economic vulnerability can increase women’s exposure to social and household risks.

By improving access to income-generating opportunities, business knowledge, mentorship, and economic resources, the programme aims to strengthen women’s economic resilience and independence.

The initiative therefore connects women’s entrepreneurship with gender-based violence prevention and resilience building.

Funding Available

The total funding available under the call is capped at USD 270,000.

This amount covers:

• Direct programme interventions
• Eligible overhead costs
• Other approved implementation expenses

Overhead costs are limited to a maximum of 5%.

In addition, five grants of USD 14,000 each will be awarded to CSOs or crisis centres in accordance with UNDP rules.

Applicants should carefully distinguish between programme costs and eligible overheads when preparing their budgets.

Who Is Eligible?

Eligible applicants are NGOs or civil society organisations legally registered in Tajikistan.

Applications may be submitted:

• By a single eligible organisation; or
• By organisations participating as part of a consortium.

Applicants should have substantial experience relevant to the programme.

Minimum Experience

Organisations must demonstrate at least five years of national-level experience in development initiatives involving areas such as:

• Soft-skills development
• Capacity building
• Mentorship
• Awareness raising
• Support for vulnerable groups
• Women’s empowerment

Required Organisational Experience

Applicants should also demonstrate:

• Experience in women’s entrepreneurship.
• Experience in women’s economic empowerment.
• Experience managing small grant schemes.
• Experience working with vulnerable women or groups.
• Strong partnership-building experience.
• Cooperation with government institutions.
• Relationships with international development partners.
• Engagement with private-sector stakeholders.

What Makes a Strong Applicant?

A competitive organisation should be able to demonstrate a clear history of converting resources into measurable outcomes for vulnerable women.

Important strengths include:

• A proven women-focused entrepreneurship portfolio.
• Strong local presence in the target areas.
• Experienced mentors and business-development specialists.
• Effective beneficiary-selection systems.
• Experience managing grants.
• Strong monitoring and evaluation systems.
• Established partnerships with government and development actors.
• Private-sector connections that can create market or employment opportunities.

How to Apply

Organisations should prepare their proposal around the programme’s objectives and UNDP requirements.

Step 1: Confirm Eligibility

Verify that your organisation:

1. Is legally registered in Tajikistan.
2. Meets the required experience threshold.
3. Has relevant women’s economic empowerment experience.
4. Can work with vulnerable women.
5. Has appropriate financial and administrative systems.

Step 2: Define the Target Beneficiaries

Clearly explain which vulnerable women the project will support and why they require entrepreneurship or income-generation assistance.

The proposal should establish a clear link between vulnerability, economic insecurity, and the proposed intervention.

Step 3: Develop the Mentorship Model

Explain how beneficiaries will receive:

• Mentorship
• Business coaching
• Skills development
• Technical assistance
• Business-development support

Describe how mentors will be selected, trained, supervised, and evaluated.

Step 4: Present the Economic Empowerment Strategy

Explain how the intervention will help women move toward sustainable income generation.

This could involve:

• Developing new enterprises.
• Strengthening existing businesses.
• Improving business skills.
• Connecting women with markets.
• Improving financial knowledge.
• Facilitating access to business support.

Step 5: Demonstrate CSO Capacity

Explain your organisation’s previous experience implementing development projects and working with vulnerable communities.

Include measurable achievements wherever possible.

Step 6: Prepare the Budget

The proposal should provide a realistic and transparent budget.

Applicants should remember that overhead costs cannot exceed 5% under the stated funding conditions.

Step 7: Demonstrate Partnerships

Show existing or proposed cooperation with:

• Government institutions
• International development organisations
• Local authorities
• Private-sector companies
• Community organisations
• Other civil society organisations

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Applicants should avoid:

• Providing general NGO experience without demonstrating women’s economic empowerment expertise.
• Failing to demonstrate five years of relevant national-level experience.
• Presenting mentorship without explaining how it will generate measurable economic outcomes.
• Using unrealistic beneficiary numbers.
• Failing to explain how vulnerable women will be identified and selected.
• Underdeveloping the business-development component.
• Ignoring sustainability after project funding ends.
• Exceeding the 5% overhead limit.
• Providing weak monitoring and evaluation systems.
• Failing to demonstrate experience managing small grants.
• Listing partnerships without explaining their practical value.

Monitoring and Sustainability

A strong proposal should explain how results will be measured and maintained beyond the project period.

Potential indicators may include:

• Number of women receiving mentorship.
• Number of women completing business-development training.
• Number of businesses established or strengthened.
• Number of women generating income.
• Changes in business revenue or household economic resilience.
• Number of women accessing additional finance or markets.
• Number of CSOs improving their programme-management capacity.

Sustainability should be addressed through continued mentorship, market connections, partnerships, business networks, and strengthened local CSO capacity.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the UNDP CHANGE Programme grant opportunity?

It is a funding opportunity for Tajikistan-based NGOs and CSOs to provide vulnerable women with mentorship, entrepreneurship, business development, technical assistance, and income-generation support.

Where will the programme be implemented?

The programme targets Bokhtar, Panjakent, and Rudaki in Tajikistan.

How much funding is available?

The overall funding cap is USD 270,000, including direct intervention and eligible overhead costs. Overheads are limited to 5%.

Are additional grants available?

Yes. The opportunity also provides for five grants of USD 14,000 each to CSOs or crisis centres in accordance with UNDP rules.

Who can apply?

Legally registered NGOs and CSOs in Tajikistan can apply individually or as part of a consortium, provided they meet the detailed eligibility and experience requirements.

How much experience must applicants have?

Applicants must demonstrate at least five years of national-level experience in relevant development initiatives, including mentorship, capacity building, soft skills, and awareness raising for vulnerable groups.

Why does the programme focus on women’s economic empowerment?

The programme seeks to strengthen women’s economic resilience and income opportunities while reducing vulnerability to gender-based violence and strengthening the capacity of local organisations supporting women.

Conclusion

The UNDP CHANGE Programme offers an important opportunity for Tajikistan-based NGOs and CSOs to expand women’s economic empowerment through entrepreneurship, mentorship, business development, and income-generation support.

With a total funding cap of USD 270,000, plus five additional USD 14,000 grants, the opportunity is particularly relevant to organisations with strong experience in women’s entrepreneurship, small-grant management, capacity building, and partnerships.

Applicants should focus on demonstrating proven experience, practical mentorship models, measurable economic outcomes, strong local partnerships, cost-effective implementation, and sustainable benefits for vulnerable women in Bokhtar, Panjakent, and Rudaki.