U.S. Embassy-Bishkek Democracy Commission Grant for Socio-Economic and Democratic Development in the Kyrgyz Republic

1) Priority Program Area One:  

Advancing Business Empowerment and Social Entrepreneurship

This funding opportunity seeks to continue to support projects that strengthen the enabling environment for economic growth by addressing specific current challenges:

• high level of poverty in rural locations;
• lack of core competencies and skills needed in the modern workplace; and/or,
• lack of economic opportunities and resources.

Project Objectives (Project proposals may address one or more of these objectives. While these numbers are suggestions, grantees may select different targets as they see fit.) Within 12 months:

1) Increase knowledge, skills, and available tools for at least 50 potential and current women entrepreneurs in a targeted field, such as information technology (IT), to start and/or improve their businesses;

2) Increase capacity of at least 20 young women and men (age 18-35) from rural communities to improve access to top IT professions through providing training, mentorship support and/or internship in local leading IT companies;

3) Improve understanding of sustainable business practices through mentorship/speakers/exchange programs for at least 30 small business owners to

learn and apply innovative approaches in sustainable business development;

4) Improve and expand public-private collaboration and information sharing through events with participation of a minimum of 30 representatives of interested local state agencies and business associations;

5) Empower at least 50 potential entrepreneurs to use online digital resources or other new resources to promote their businesses through hands-on training. 

2) Priority Program Area Two:

Promoting Democratic Institutions

This funding opportunity seeks to promote more inclusive and accountable democracy by addressing specific current challenges:

• limited information flow and low level of media literacy, especially among rural populations;
• limited knowledge of the importance of the rule of law, civic engagement, civil society, and advocacy;
• limited CSO capacity in strategic planning, project design and management, monitoring and evaluation, public relations and organizational communications, building partnerships, and organizational and financial sustainability, especially in rural areas; and/or
• limited cooperation between rural civil society and local government.

Project Objectives (Project proposals may address one or more of these objectives. While these numbers are suggestions, grantees may select different targets as they see fit.) Within 12 months:

1)   Increase awareness of the importance of civil participation among at least 200 secondary school students or university students through activities like debate, advocacy, speaker programs, and rule of law and leadership programs;

2)   Increase media literacy and critical thinking skills of at least 150 young people from rural communities on how to recognize and respond to the dissemination of fake news;

3)   Increase opportunities for youth decision-making and contribution to governance through supporting at least 7 regional youth leadership initiatives on environmental challenges and/or governmental accountability implemented with local self-governments and local councils; 

4)   Promote sustainable civic education practices, engagement, and leadership involving a minimum of 150 high school students so that youth more actively and positively participate in civic, social and economic life and contribute to the development of their families and communities through long-term partnerships with governing bodies and local civil society organizations;

5)   Improve access to public services in rural communities through strengthened partnership between civil society and local government bodies to support the needs of underserved communities;

6)   Establish robust communication plans and strategies for at least 8 rural (or relatively low-capacity) CSOs to improve their skills utilizing traditional and social media for outreach campaigns, in support of program goals; and/or

7)   Engage a minimum of 8 rural NGOs working with youth, women, and other underserved groups to develop better connectivity with each other and with local government bodies, as well as better-formulated strategies resulting from associated networking and mentoring programs.

3) Priority Program Area Three

Combatting Gender-Based Violence

This funding opportunity seeks to build upon previous projects and strengthen the efforts to effectively prevent and respond to gender-based violence by addressing specific current challenges:

• entrenched gender stereotypes and prejudice;
• lack of economic resources and economic vulnerability; and/or,
• normalization and general acceptance of gender-based violence.

Project Objectives (Project proposals may address one or more of these objectives. While these numbers are suggestions, grantees may select different targets as they see fit.) Within 12 months:

1)   Increase awareness of positive masculinity, respectful relations, breaking stereotyped gender roles and discrimination through online informational campaigns;

2)   Promote new notions of masculinity associated with non-violence, respect, and equality by engaging at least 100 men and boys in programs;

3)   Improve access to economic empowerment resources/programs at least 100 vulnerable women and victims of GBV through personal development programs;

4)   Support civil participation in shaping policy that counters gender-based violence through increasing the coordination between local authorities and other stakeholders, including at least 5 civil society organizations; and/or 

5)   Increase capacity of key decision-makers working in governmental bodies to address gender-based violence through improved implementation of existing laws on countering domestic violence.  

4) Priority Program Area Four

Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE)

This funding opportunity seeks to build upon previous projects and expand PVE programming in the Kyrgyz Republic through strengthening individual and community resilience and local capacity by addressing specific current challenges:

• lack of sense of belonging to a community, along with low civic participation and proactivity;
• lack of media literacy and critical skills to recognize and reject violent extremist narratives; and/or
• low capacity of local government and civil society actors in PVE and lack of effective collaboration in prevention of radicalization and extremism.

Project Objectives (Project proposals may address one or more of these objectives. While these numbers are suggestions, grantees may select different targets as they see fit.) Within 12 months: 

1)   Increase positive stories and messaging on tolerance, diversity, and inclusivity through at least 5 media messaging and alternative/counter-narrative information campaigns in social media and/or traditional media;

2)   Promote media literacy and critical thinking skills in rural regions or new urban communities through training at least 50 young people (aged 14-28) in recognizing and critically assessing online extremist content and propaganda, while promoting narratives based on human rights, tolerance, and democratic values;

3)   Using local expertise and credible voices within communities, increase community development opportunities for at least 25 young people (aged 14-28) in rural regions or new urban communities to promote intergroup trust and increase the identification with and sense of belonging to their communities

4)   Increase capacity of local government and civil society actors to address PVE and more effectively collaborate on the prevention of radicalization and extremism.

5) Priority Program Area Five

Countering Trafficking in Persons (CTIP)

This funding opportunity seeks to build upon previous projects and expand trafficking-in-persons programming in the Kyrgyz Republic by addressing specific current challenges:

• lack of approved standard operating procedures (SOPs) for state bodies including local administrations and local self-governments to implement NRM;
• low capacity of local government officials, including regional TIP coordination council members, as well as NGO representatives, to implement NRM and identify victims based on four identification criteria; and/or
• limited public awareness on trafficking-related issues, risks of illegal migration and the legal rights of migrants. 

Project Objectives (Project proposals may address one or more of these objectives. While these numbers are suggestions, grantees may select different targets as they see fit.) Within 12 months:

1)   Build capacity of 50 government officials working on countering trafficking-in-persons (CTIP) issues and members of the National Database of CTIP NGOs on the national referral mechanism, including relevant SOPs to clearly delineate the respective roles of the various agencies involved;

2)   Establish a network of at least 5 civil society organizations working to combat trafficking in persons, who can provide expertise and coordinate with government officials on TIP issues;

3)   Raise the awareness of at-risk youth and women, as well as current labor migrants, on trafficking-related issues, basic human rights, cyber-safety, and digital literacy, reaching at least 100 current and potential labor migrants;

4)   Raise the awareness of the media by providing at least 5 journalists and media professionals with tools that will support their efforts to address and/or report on human trafficking in an ethical and professional way, including the technology-facilitated methods employed by traffickers and the risks to victims.