The U.S. Embassy Dushanbe Public Affairs Section is offering the Democracy Commission Small Grants Program to support democratic institutions and civil society development in Tajikistan.

Dushanbe, Tajikistan, January 7, 2022 – The U.S. Embassy Dushanbe Public Affairs Section (PAS) 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 Tajikistan’s democratic institutions and civil society by competitively awarding small grants to Tajik nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and associations, to nonprofit civil society organizations (CSOs), and to independent local media organizations.

The U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Section (PAS) in Dushanbe is soliciting Statements of Interest from Tajik civil society and independent media organizations that focus on one of the priority areas specified below. Applicants should pay close attention to the Public Affairs Section’s goals, priority program areas, target audiences, and geographic locations when developing their proposals, which can be found in the Notice of Funding Opportunity below. Statements of Interest cannot exceed three pages and must be accompanied by a budget. Templates for the statement of interest and budget are included as links below.

Priority Themes:

• Support Independent Media Development and Bloggers:  We will support projects that 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; and Increase professionalism of social media influencers on topics of public interest and inspire them to post more on such subjects.

• Counter Violent Extremism:  We will support projects that 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; and Increase awareness of the consequences of violent extremism through sharing real stories of victims and survivors.

• Support Women’s Empowerment:  We will support projects that 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; and Establish networks of support for women from under-represented communities that will ensure sustainability of progress made during the award period.

• Promote Environmental Awareness and Action: We will support projects that 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; and Increase the ability of local, state, and civil society stakeholders to advocate for environmental protection

Deadline for Applications:  February 20, 2022 (24:00, Dushanbe time)