Democracy Commission Small Grants Program in Turkmenistan

Deadline: 11-Apr-22

The U.S. Embassy Ashgabat Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Department of State is pleased to announce that funding is available through the Embassy’s Democracy Commission Small Grants Program.

This program supports the development of the country’s democratic institutions and civil society by competitively awarding small grants to nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and associations, to nonprofit civil society organizations (CSOs), and to independent local media organizations in Turkmenistan. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit joint proposals with another NGO, such as a regional NGO collaborating with a Ashgabat-based organization, to build partnerships and strengthen civil society capacity.

Project Goals

Non-governmental organizations (NGO) capacity building
- Create strong, representative, and independent civil society organizations to hold government and all institutions accountable, deter corruption, and increased CSO capacity to respond to social needs in Turkmenistan.
Advancing Human Capacity and Entrepreneurship
- To support socio- economic empowerment of youth in Turkmenistan through educational and professional development opportunities

Objectives

Non-governmental organizations (NGO) capacity building
- Increase the number of institutions engaged in the civil society sector that report making positive organizational changes.
- Increase awareness of the importance of civil society career opportunities among at least 60 secondary school students or university students through activities like debate, advocacy, speaker programs, and rule of law and leadership programs
- Promote sustainable civic education practices, engagement, and leadership involving a minimum of 60 high school students so that youth more actively and positively participate in civic, social and economic life and contribute to the development of their families and communities through long-term partnerships with governing bodies and local civil society organizations;
- Increase opportunities for youth decision-making and contribution to governance through supporting at least 7 regional youth leadership initiatives on environmental challenges and/or governmental accountability implemented with local self-governments and local councils;
- Improve access to public services in rural communities through strengthened partnership between civil society and local government bodies to support the needs of underserved communities;
- Establish robust communication plans and strategies for at least 8 rural (or relatively low-capacity) CSOs to improve their skills utilizing traditional and social media for outreach campaigns, in support of program goals; and/or
- Engage a minimum of 8 rural NGOs working with youth, women, and other underserved groups to develop better connectivity with each other and with local government bodies, as well as better-formulated strategies resulting from associated networking and mentoring programs.
Advancing Human Capacity and Entrepreneurship
- To strengthen English language skills and academic prep for at least 80 recent high school graduates (ages 17-21) to successfully enter university and create future economic opportunities.
- Increase knowledge, skills, and available tools for at least 50 secondary high school students or university students through activities like debate, advocacy, speaker programs, entrepreneurship and leadership programs,
- Increase capacity of at least 20 young women and men (age 18-28) from rural communities to improve entrepreneurship skills through providing training, mentorship support and/or internship with local companies;
- Improve understanding of sustainable business practices through mentorship/speakers/exchange programs for at least 30 youth (ages 18-28) and small business owners to learn and apply innovative approaches in sustainable business development;
- Increase awareness of at least 50 potential youth entrepreneurs on ways to use online digital resources or other new resources to promote their businesses through hands-on training.