U.S. Mission to Kazakhstan: Small Grants Program 2021

Deadline: 30-Apr-21

The U.S. Embassy Nur-Sultan and Consulate General Almaty Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Department of State is pleased to announce Small Grants Program 2021 that supports the development of Kazakhstani democratic institutions and civil society by competitively awarding small grants to Kazakhstani nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and associations, to nonprofit civil society organizations (CSOs), and to independent local media organizations.

Priority Areas

Topic 1: Countering Trafficking-in-Persons
- Project Goal:
  - Reduce trafficking-in-persons in Kazakhstan by increasing awareness among potential victims, as well as strengthening capacity of individuals and institutions that can provide protection.
- Project Audiences:
  - At-risk populations including labor migrants.
  - Local and state government officials.
- Project Objectives (Project proposals may address one or more of these objectives):
  - Raise awareness of migrant legal rights through trainings reaching at least 100 current and potential labor migrants.
  - Increase knowledge of at least 25 local and state government officials, including law enforcement, on existing trafficking-in-persons legislation, victim identification, anti-trafficking best practices.
  - Create a prevention program to provide education and support to an at-risk group, identifying target audience and most likely vulnerabilities to trafficking.
Topic 2: Addressing Air Quality
- Project Goal:
  - Improve air quality in Kazakhstan by increasing understanding of the causes and deleterious effects of pollution, as well as providing more environmentally-friendly alternatives to citizens.
- Project Audiences:
  - Citizens, 10-35 years of age.
  - Civil society activists and researchers.
  - Academics and institutions focused on air quality.
  - Journalists and opinion leaders who can amplify key messages.
- Project Objectives (Project proposals may address one or more of these objectives):
  - Raise awareness of air quality challenges to at least 5000 members of a targeted demographic between the ages of 10-35, located outside of Almaty and Nur-Sultan, and provide information on mitigating responses.
  - Develop capacity of academics and institutions for, and further research into, the causes of air pollution, and provide a policy and implementation framework for Kazakhstani local and regional authorities to reduce air pollution.
  - Create a campaign to educate and incentivize use of environmentally friendly alternative consumer products or transportation, reaching at least 1000 people.
Topic 3: Promoting Renewable Energy
- Project Goal:
  - Promote usage of renewable and sustainable energy sources in Kazakhstan through increased awareness and research.
- Project Audiences:
  - Energy consumers in either urban or rural Kazakhstan
  - Academics working in energy-related areas
  - Journalists covering renewable energy policy
  - Local government officials and policy makers in rural Kazakhstan
- Project Objectives (Project proposals may address one or more of these objectives):
  - Reach at least 5,000 citizens in Kazakhstan with an awareness campaign on the importance of renewable and sustainable energy
  - Develop research guidelines among educational institutions to coordinate efforts and develop a cadre of renewable energy professionals.
  - Develop a resource map of renewable energy resources for policy makers to highlight a pathway away from fossil-fuel dependency in Kazakhstan.

Funding Information

Estimated Award Ceiling: $50,000
Estimated Award Floor: $10,000
Length of Project Period: up to 24 month, preferable length is 9-12 months

Eligibility Criteria

The following organizations are eligible to apply:
- Not-for-profit organizations
- Civil society/non-governmental organizations
For this announcement, only Kazakhstan-based organizations are eligible to apply.
Organizations may sub-contract with other entities, but only one, non-profit, 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.
In order to be eligible to receive an award, all organizations must have a unique entity identifier (Data Universal Numbering System/DUNS number from Dun & Bradstreet), as well as a valid registration on SAM.gov.
Cost sharing or matching is not required for this funding opportunity.
Pre-award costs are not an allowable expense for this funding opportunity.?
This award does not allow:
- Projects relating to partisan political activity;
- Conferences abroad or individual trips abroad;
- Charitable or development activities; including direct social services;
- Construction projects;
- Projects that support specific religious activities;
- Fund-raising campaigns;
- Lobbying for specific legislation or programs
- Medical, scientific research or surveys;
- Art or cultural projects;
- Commercial projects; or
- Projects that duplicate existing projects