Public Affairs Section – FY 2021 Book Translation Program for Kyrgyz Republic

For this announcement, only organizations based in the Kyrgyz Republic are eligible to apply.

Background:

The Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Embassy to the Kyrgyz Republic is soliciting proposals from publishing houses, academic institutions and non-governmental organizations to publish books by American authors and/or books reflecting U.S. values, translated into the Kyrgyz language or jointly into Kyrgyz and English languages. The program provides funding for the copyright acquisition (if required), translation, printing, and distribution of the title, along with follow-up programming, such as workshops, mater-classes, website creation, contests, etc. PAS expects to fund two awards with an average award amount of $25,000 per title, with a minimum print run of 3,000 copies. Books will be distributed by the grantee, U.S. Embassy, and partners to educational institutions, public libraries and American Spaces throughout the Kyrgyz Republic. The BTP will fund awards on a competitive basis conducted by panel review.

Applicants should pay close attention to the Public Affairs Section’s goals, priorities, and target audiences when developing their proposals. Due to the volume of applicants and inquiries, PAS does not accept letters of intent, concept papers, or requests for meetings prior to application.

PAS is soliciting project proposals that focus on four priority areas specified below.

Goal: The goal of the Book Translation Program (BTP) is to promote access to US literature and respect for Kyrgyz culture by supporting the publishing of US books in the Kyrgyz language. 

Objectives:  

1.    Select a book title that meets one of the priority themes detailed below and develop and execute a plan for printing and distribution of at least 3,000 copies.  

2.    Develop and execute a series of follow-up activities to support the roll-out of the book.  

Priority Themes:

FY2021 proposals may include fiction or nonfiction titles and must focus on one or more of the following themes:

1. STEAM: Includes any combination of science, technology, engineering, art and math.

1. Environmental Conservation: Primarily focused on raising awareness of the need to protect the environment, and how to accomplish that.

1. Business Empowerment and Social entrepreneurship: Includes economic independence, business empowerment, and sustainable development, ideally targeted towards marginalized groups, underrepresented groups, and vulnerable populations to improve the business climate.

1. Civic Engagement and Rural to Urban Migrations: Raising awareness of civic engagement, especially regarding issues related to rural to urban migration, and the marginalization of rural communities.  

Priority Audience: Primarily Kyrgyz language speaking young professionals and youth aged 10-25.