Deadline: 8-Feb-22
The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) announces an open source competition for organizations interested in submitting applications for projects that support Religious Freedom Kazakhstan.
By strengthening the capacity of civil society to educate citizens, raise public awareness of existing concerns, and advocate for authorities to address such concerns, this award will encourage the Government of Kazakhstan to revisit its laws impacting religious freedom, including through any implementing guidance, to bring the country into greater alignment with international standards, and to take concrete steps to amend or repeal restrictive laws that impact both minority and majority religious populations.
Funding Information
- Total Funding Floor: $740,740
- Total Funding Ceiling: $740,740
- Anticipated Number of Awards: 1
- Period of Performance: 22-30 months
- Anticipated Time to Award, Pending Availability of Funds: 6-8 months
Illustrative Activities
Illustrative activities may include:
- Advocate for and support Government of Kazakhstan efforts to improve national laws impacting religious freedom in line with international standards. Target audiences could include Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Information and Social Development’s Committee for Religious Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, Parliament, and other government actors. Topics could include not using national security to justify restricting religious practice or exercise of related rights and identifying and presenting best practices on religious freedom laws as implemented by other countries in the OSCE;
- Convene multi-stakeholder policy dialogues with civil society, legal experts, government officials, faith-based organizations, and believers and non-believers on religious freedom to promote inclusive policy and law making as it relates to religious freedom;
- Improve civil society organizations’ capacity to monitor implementation of Kazakhstan’s laws impacting religious freedom, including but not limited to how the Government implements simplifying the religious registration process, removal of the requirement of official approval for religious events, and elimination of expert review of religious material;
- Support civil society’s documentation of religious freedom violations under current religious freedom laws as well as penalties levied under the criminal and administrative codes for violations of the Government’s religion law;
- Conduct analysis of the criminal and administrative codes as they relate to religious freedom violations;
- Monitor court cases, convictions, and sentencing to use as evidence in as part of advocacy efforts to repeal criminal and administrative codes related to religious freedom;
- Advocate for improved criminal administrative codes to lessen the impact of restrictive religion laws and to bring them in line with international standards of the ICCPR and UN Declaration of Human Rights.
Outcomes
Program outcomes could include but are not limited to:
- Civil society, including local community actors, takes collective action to promote and protect the freedoms of members of all religions, belief and non-believers
- Community members advocate for the rights of members of all religions, belief and nonbelievers and for alignment of policies or practices impacting religious freedom with international standards
- Civil society-driven processes or mechanisms address the concerns and interests of community members, in particular those members of minority religions and belief communities and non-believers
- Increased awareness and understanding among government officials and security, law enforcement, and legal actors of the value and importance of human rights, mutual respect, and inclusion for all, regardless of one’s religion, beliefs or non-belief
- Government officials are increasingly responsive to civil society advocacy to protect freedom of religion, beliefs or non-belief.
Eligibility Criteria
DRL welcomes applications from U.S.-based and foreign-based non-profit organizations/nongovernment organizations (NGO) and public international organizations; private, public, or state institutions of higher education; and for-profit organizations or businesses. DRL’s preference is to work with non-profit entities; however, there may be some occasions when a for-profit entity is best suited. Applications submitted by for-profit entities may be subject to additional review following the panel selection process. Additionally, the Department of State prohibits profit to for-profit or commercial organizations under its assistance awards.
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=336965