Deadline: 17-Aug-24
The U.S. Embassy Bishkek Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) of the U.S. Department of State is pleased to announce that funding is available through the Embassy’s Public Diplomacy Small Grant Program.
Based on funding availability, projects awarded under this program will support U.S. foreign policy goals in the Kyrgyz Republic in the areas of combating transnational threats, promoting sustainable economic growth, and accountable governance and stability in the Kyrgyz Republic.
Purpose of Public Diplomacy Grants
- The PDS invites proposals for programs that strengthen ties between the United States and the Kyrgyz Republic and support a priority program area in order to highlight shared values and promote bilateral cooperation. All proposed programs must include an American element, either through a connection with American expert/s, organization/s, or institution/s, usage of American educational/informational resources, or any other activities that promote or contribute to increased mutual understanding between the people of the United States and people of the Kyrgyz Republic.
- Competitive proposals will promote continued/sustainable cooperation between the people of the United States and the Kyrgyz Republic even after the project concludes.
- Special consideration will be given to proposals which include partnership with Kyrgyz governmental bodies, and to organizations that have a demonstrated track record of implementing these types of partnerships.
Areas
- PDS invites proposals for programs that support one of the following U.S. Embassy priority program areas:
- Sustainable Economic Growth
- Proposals should promote an inclusive creative economy built upon regional connectivity, enhanced human capital, clean energy, and sustainable development.
- This goal could be advanced through lines of effort such as:
- Reducing barriers to economic participation, particularly among youth, women, residents of rural areas, and underserved groups.
- Promoting public advocacy for regulatory reform and business‐friendly policies.
- Developing programs and tools for small and medium businesses to promote corporate social responsibility, innovation, adaptive technologies, rural economic development, economic diversification, social entrepreneurship, more inclusive and skilled workforce, women’s and youth empowerment, access to finance.
- Project Audience(s) may include:
- Young people (14‐28 years old), women, and other underserved groups, especially Kyrgyz‐speaking audiences.
- Small and medium business owners, entrepreneurs, social entrepreneurs, innovators, creative professionals, influencers, and mentors, especially Kyrgyz‐speaking audiences.
- Business associations working on improving the business environment, consolidating advocacy efforts to improve the business environment, and promoting public‐private partnerships (PPP).
- Accountable Governance and Stability
- Proposals should advance a more transparent, accountable, inclusive and democratic system of governance in the Kyrgyz Republic.
- This goal could be advanced through lines of effort such as:
- Strengthen civil society and independent media organizations’ ability to collaborate on key issues through new connections and relationships.
- Educating citizens on rights and protections and media literacy, contributing to increased community engagement, a culture of respect for rule of law, and reduced corruption.
- Making collaboration between government bodies, civil society, and the private sector more effective, resulting in improved policy formation that is more responsive to citizen needs, more transparent implementation policies, and better‐quality service delivery in equitable, transparent, and accountable way.
- Project Audience(s) may include:
- Youth, and students of both public and private schools and universities, particularly in remote and rural areas.
- Minorities, people with disabilities, and other disadvantaged groups.
- Community leaders, decision makers, influencers, educators, innovators, particularly in remote and rural areas.
- English Language Programming
- Proposals should improve English language instruction, spoken language production, and written and oral comprehension in the Kyrgyz Republic, especially for those in the regions outside of the capital and residents of the “novostroika” marginalized communities of Bishkek.
- This goal could be advanced through lines of effort such as:
- Increasing spoken English skills and improving classroom lesson delivery techniques of rural English teachers.
- Creating linkages between advanced students from private English language schools and lower‐level students from under‐resourced public schools, through tutoring and mentorship opportunities
- Developing improved English language learning methodologies and techniques to be used by public universities, secondary and primary school instructors.
- Project Audience(s) may include:
- Youth, and students of both public and private schools and universities, particularly in remote and rural areas.
- Minorities, people with disabilities, and other disadvantaged groups.
- English language educators particularly in remote and rural areas.
- Climate Change Resilience and Environmental Protection
- Proposals should engage government, industry, business and/or local communities in developing strategies for mitigation of the effects of climate change, adaptation measures, and in implementing locally driven projects which protect the environment and save resources.
- This goal could be advanced through lines of effort such as:
- Creating community‐based programs to conserve and facilitate the re‐use of water.
- Promoting consumer adoption of housing insulation and energy savings methods which reduce the use of energy.
- Piloting recycling programs among youth populations, in order to advance environmental awareness and reduce waste.
- Project Audience(s) may include:
- Youth, and students of both public and private schools and universities, particularly in remote and rural areas.
- Business and homeowners.
- Community leaders, decision makers, influencers, educators, innovators, particularly in remote and rural areas.
- Combating Transnational Threats
- Proposals should strengthen regional security and stability and combat transnational threats through engagement with diverse, targeted stakeholders on key issues like violent extremism, human trafficking, and emergency preparedness.
- This goal could be advanced through lines of effort such as:
- Improving communication and coordination between civil society, local communities, and the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic to combat transnational threats and regional issues, such as radicalization and violent extremism, human trafficking, natural disasters, public health emergencies, and climate change impact.
- Developing skills that provide alternative opportunities to individuals who may be drawn to radicalization to increase their economic and societal integration within their communities.
- Increasing resilience of at‐risk groups to the allure of extremist messages and recruitment attempts through messaging about the dangers of violent extremism.
- Project Audience(s) may include:
- At‐risk groups that include young people with limited educational and employment opportunities and other underserved and marginalized groups.
- Local community members and influencers, including local government officials and law enforcement personnel engaged in countering trafficking in persons (CTIP).
- Local and national government decision‐making officials and government employees.
- Sustainable Economic Growth
Funding Information
- Estimated Award Ceiling: $80,000
- Estimated Award Floor: $5,000
- Length of Project Period: 6‐12 months
- Number of Awards Anticipated: Up to 5 awards (Pending availability of funds)
- Anticipated Program Start Date: November 2024
Eligibility Criteria
- The following organizations are eligible to apply:
- Kyrgyz Republic‐registered:
- Not‐for‐profit organizations,
- Civil society/non‐governmental organizations,
- Think tanks,
- Public and private not‐for‐profit educational institutions,
- Individuals, and
- U.S. non‐governmental organizations (NGOs), educational institutions, and individuals seeking funding to support cultural and/or educational programs in the Kyrgyz Republic and partnering with Kyrgyz Republic‐registered organizations. Applications with no clear description of a Kyrgyz‐Republic‐registered partner and its role in the proposed project will be rejected during the pre‐screening stage.
- Organizations may sub‐contract with other entities, but only one, non‐governmental entity can be the prime recipient of the award. When sub‐contracting with other entities, the responsibilities of each entity must be clearly defined in the proposal. For‐profit entities are not eligible for this funding opportunity.
For more information, visit U.S. Embassy in the Kyrgyz Republic.