Tajikistan: Democracy Commission Grant Program
Deadline: 20-Feb-22
The U.S. Embassy in Tajikistan is pleased to announce the Democracy Commission Grant Program to promote civil society and address key societal issues through a series of targeted small grant programs. The Democracy Commission Grant Program awards primarily to non-governmental, non-profit organizations (NGOs).
The U.S. Embassy Democracy Commission Grant Program is limited to organizations based in Tajikistan. They cannot fund projects requested by non-Tajikistani organizations or those that support partisan political or religious activities. In addition, projects whose primary purpose is charitable activities, humanitarian aid or fundraising cannot be approved.
Topics
Support for Independent Media
Project Goal: To increase the capacity of independent bloggers and social media influencers to effectively produce content that can compete with misinformation, propaganda, and extremist content.
Project Audience(s): The primary target audience for these projects should be men and women aged 15-35 living in Tajikistan, who have an interest in journalism, photography, videography, or social media, and who have time to devote to training and content creation.
Project Objectives: Each project should achieve 1-3 of the following objectives:
Raise the quality and quantity of visual content created by amateur journalists and bloggers in order to expand their audience with attractive content;
Increase capacity of local journalists and bloggers through training on effective use of social media and providing small grants to those who show the most potential for long-term success;
Increase professionalism of social media influencers on topics of public interest and inspire them to post more on such subjects.
Countering Violent Extremism
Project Goal: To increase the amount of anti-extremist content in Tajikistan’s traditional and social media space through the recruitment of a cadre of moderate voices to produce and share such positive content during and after the project’s completion.
Project Audience(s): The primary target audience for these projects should be young males living in Tajikistan and Russia, with limited education, working in manual labor or unskilled jobs, and who tend to be more conservative in their religious and social views.
Project Objectives: Each project should achieve 1-4 of the following objectives:
Increase the number of people receiving messages of tolerance and non-violence from respected and popular figures in society through social and traditional media;
Increase the long-term capacity of moderate voices to continue spreading messages of tolerance and non-violence, designed to continue effectively after the project’s completion;
Increase the amount of visual content in the Tajiki language focused on combatting violent extremism that can be easily shared on social media platforms;
Increase awareness of the consequences of violent extremism through sharing real stories of victims and survivors.
Women’s Empowerment
Project Goal: To increase the ability of women to support themselves economically and assert their rights.
Project Audience(s): The primary target audience for these projects should be undereducated, women living primarily in rural areas where economic opportunities are limited.
Project Objectives: Each project should achieve 1-2 of the following objectives:
Increase the ability of women to support themselves economically through skills-building trainings
Increase women’s knowledge about their rights in society and how to advocate for the respect of those rights;
Establish networks of support for women from under-represented communities that will ensure sustainability of progress made during the award period
Environmental Awareness and Action
Project Goal: Promote usage of renewable and sustainable energy sources in Tajikistan through increased awareness of the impact of climate change and pollution.
Project Audience(s): The primary target audience for these projects should be active members of civil society, community leaders, and social media users between the ages of 16 and 30.
Project Objectives: Each project should achieve 1-2 of the following objectives:
Increase awareness about the threat of climate change and air pollution in Tajikistan, the causes of these threats, and how to reduce or prevent their effects
Increase the ability of local, state, and civil society stakeholders to advocate for environmental protection
Funding Information
Estimated Award Ceiling: $50,000
Estimated Award Floor: $10,000
Length of Project Period: 9-12 months
Anticipated program start date: May 15, 2022
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 Tajikistan-based organizations are eligible to apply.
For more information, visit https://tj.usembassy.gov/embassy/dushanbe/grant-programs/democracy-commission/