U.S. Mission to Uzbekistan: Public Diplomacy Small Grants Program

Deadline: 18-Jun-24

The U.S. Department of State’s Embassy Tashkent Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) is pleased to announce the availability of funding through the Embassy’s Public Diplomacy Small Grants Program.

Based on funding availability, projects awarded under this program will support U.S. foreign policy goals in Uzbekistan in the areas of promoting sustainable economic growth, strengthening accountable governance and stability, and combating transitional threats.

Purpose

• The PDS invites proposals for programs that strengthen ties between the United States and Uzbekistan 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 Uzbekistan. Competitive proposals will promote continued/sustainable cooperation between the people of the United States and Uzbekistan even after the project concludes.

Priority Program Areas

• Project proposals may address one or more of these priority program areas. The Public Diplomacy Section will also consider other project ideas as long as the project aligns within one of the priority program areas below:
  • Sustainable Economic Growth: Promote an inclusive creative economy built upon regional connectivity, enhanced human capital, clean energy, and sustainable development.
    • Proposals should focus on one of the following lines of effort:
      • Increase economic participation of youth, women, residents of rural areas and underserved groups through business skills and entrepreneurship training.
      • Increase advocacy efforts of CSOs for regulatory reform and business-friendly policies.
      • Equip small and medium businesses with skills that can help advance rural economic development and/or promote women’s and youth empowerment.
      • Increase understanding among small and medium businesses of the importance of corporate social responsibility, social entrepreneurship, innovation and design thinking, adaptive thinking technologies and features, finance and other topics.
      • Expand the skills of individuals in the creative industry through artistic, cultural, or technology‐focused trainings or exchanges with U.S. counterparts.
      • Increase knowledge and awareness support for sustainable natural resource management and/or adoption of cleaner energy sources and technologies.
    • Project Audience(s) may include:
      • Young people (14‐28 years old), women, and other underserved groups.
      • Small and medium business owners, entrepreneurs, social entrepreneurs, innovators, creative professionals, influencers, and mentors.
      • Business associations working on improving the business environment, consolidating advocacy efforts to improve the business environment, and promoting public‐private partnerships (PPP).
      • Civil society organizations (CSOs) or universities working in such areas as women/youth empowerment and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics); or
      • Public‐ and private‐sector stakeholders in the areas of energy, air quality, and environmental protection
  • Accountable Governance and Stability: Advance a more transparent, accountable, inclusive, and democratic system of governance in Uzbekistan.
    • Proposals should focus on one of the following lines of efforts:
      • Strengthen civil society and independent media organizations’ ability to collaborate on key issues through new connections and relationships.
      • Increase understanding of rights and protections and media literacy, contributing to increased community engagement, a culture of respect for rule of law, and reduced corruption.
      • Improve the financial and business capacities of civil society organizations and independent media, to include the adoption of innovative business practices.
      • Strengthen collaboration between government bodies, civil society, and the private sector, resulting in policies and legislation that is more responsive to citizen needs, more transparent, and ensures 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.
      • Civil society organizations, independent media organizations, and/or non‐profit organizations.
  • Combating Transnational Threats: Strengthen regional security and stability and combat transnational threats through engagement with diverse, targeted stakeholders on key issues like cyber security, violent extremism, human trafficking, and emergency preparedness.
    • Proposals should focus on one of the following lines of effort:
      • Improve communication and coordination between civil society, local communities, and the Government of Uzbekistan to combat transnational threats and regional issues, such as radicalization and violent extremism, human trafficking, natural disasters, public health emergencies, and climate change impact.
      • Increase understanding of U.S. best practices in cyber security and technology development.
      • Facilitate dialogue among key stakeholders, including civil society, about preparedness for climate change related challenges.
      • Increase awareness and resilience among vulnerable populations to recognize and combat human trafficking.
      • Equip at-risk youth vulnerable to radicalization with technical and soft skills to help facilitate their economic and societal integration within their communities.
      • Increase resilience of at‐risk groups to the allure of extremist messages and recruitment attempts through messaging about the dangers of violent extremism and/or facilitate community-level dialogue about the importance of religious tolerance and dialogue.
    • Project Audience(s) may include:
      • At‐risk groups that include young people ages 18-25 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).
      • Universities and higher education institutions with cyber security programs.
      • Local and national government decision‐making officials and government employees.
      • Civil society organizations working in areas such as conflict prevention and resolution, peacebuilding, prevention of violent extremism, public health, and environmental issues especially in rural areas.

Funding Information

• Total available funding: $100,000
• Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $10,000 to a maximum of $50,000.
• Length of performance period: 12 months or less
• Number of awards anticipated: up to 10 awards, depending on available funds.
• Anticipated program start date: August-October 2024.

Eligibility Criteria

• The following not-for-profit organizations are eligible to apply:
  • Not-for-profit Uzbekistani and U.S. organizations
  • Civil society/non-governmental organizations
  • Think tanks
  • Public and private not-for-profit educational institutions
  • Individuals
• For-profit entities, even those that may fall into the categories listed above, are not eligible to apply for this NOFO. 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.

Ineligible

• This opportunity will not support:
  • Paying to complete activities already begun.
  • Office equipment.
  • Ongoing salary costs.
  • Projects relating to partisan political activity.
  • Charitable or development activities.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.