Deadline: 15-May-23
The U.S. Embassy Tashkent Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) of the U.S. Department of State is pleased to announce funding is available through the Embassy’s Democracy Commission Small Grants Program.
This program supports the development of Uzbekistan’s democratic institutions and civil society by competitively awarding small grants to Uzbekistan’s nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and associations, to nonprofit civil society organizations (CSOs), and to independent local media organizations.
Goals
- Strengthening the Role of Women and Marginalized Communities through Education and Entrepreneurship: Improve the social and economic situation of low-income families and disadvantaged groups.
- Strengthening Civil Society, Promoting Human Rights, and the Rule of Law: Increase the capacity of Uzbekistan’s civil society to respond to the unmet social needs of the country’s women, youth, migrants, and other vulnerable groups.
Project Objectives
Strengthening the Role of Women and Marginalized Communities through Education and Entrepreneurship
- (Project proposals may address one or more of these objectives)
- Within 12 months:
- Strengthen the development of business training modules and increase awareness of rights for property and business for disadvantaged groups.
- Increase awareness and understanding of property and business rights of disadvantaged groups in Uzbekistan.
- Encourage civil society organizations in Uzbekistan to develop impactful programs to help low-income families and members of disadvantaged groups gain employment and start their own businesses.
- Increase professional skills, including entrepreneurship. of low-income families and members of disadvantaged groups in Uzbekistan gain employment and start their own businesses.
- Establish partnerships and support mechanisms with other civil society organizations working to help women and youth gain in-demand vocational skills.
- Establish partnerships between civil society organizations to collaborate on skillsbuilding trainings aimed at improving the economic situation of disadvantaged groups.
- Increase technical capacity of young women and men from rural communities to improve access to top IT professions through training, mentorship support and/or internships in local leading IT companies.
- Increase capacity of potential entrepreneurs to use online digital resources to promote their businesses through hands-on training and access to e-commerce platforms.
Strengthening Civil Society, Promoting Human Rights, and the Rule of Law
- (Project proposals may address one or more of these objectives. PLEASE NOTE: Proposals focused on providing direct social services will not be accepted.
- Within 12 months:
- Increase vulnerable populations’ awareness and understanding of their legal rights, information, and resources available, such as:
- Current and potential Uzbekistani labor migrants at risk of falling victim to human trafficking schemes or religious extremism.
- Victims of domestic violence.
- Persons with disabilities.
- Increase monitoring and reporting capacities of civil society organizations on issues of corruption in education, business, and the healthcare sectors, as well as on human rights and in accordance with UN conventions.
- Develop communication and community engagement skills of civil society organizations to effectively respond to humanitarian crises and emergency situations.
- Increase political participation of women in local governance to promote female leadership and support gender equality initiatives.
- Build advocacy and oversight skills in non-governmental organizations, state bodies, media, and civil society to combat corruption and increase transparency.
Funding Information
- Length of performance period: 5-12 months
- Number of awards anticipated: Up to 20 awards (Pending availability of funds)
- Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $10,000 to a maximum of $50,000
- Total available funding: $430,000
- Type of Funding: FY21/22 Assistance for Europe, Eurasia, and Central Asia under the Foreign Assistance Act
- Anticipated program start date: September – October 2023
Project Audience(s)
- Strengthening the Role of Women and Marginalized Communities through Education and Entrepreneurship: Potential entrepreneurs and current small-scale business owners (ages 25- 55); women, particularly in rural areas; rural and/or marginalized communities; and people with disabilities.
- Strengthening Civil Society, Promoting Human Rights, and the Rule of Law: Women and youth (14-35 years old) in the regions, community leaders, urban and rural NGOs, independent media journalists and other civil society organizations.
Eligibility Criteria
- The following organizations are eligible to apply:
- Not-for-profit organizations
- For-profit organizations
- Civil society/non-governmental organizations
- For this announcement, only Uzbekistan-based organizations are eligible to apply.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.