The United States Embassy is offering the Democracy Commission Small Grants Program to support democratic development and civil society in Armenia.

• Armenian not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations;

• Independent media outlets registered in Armenia.

The United States Embassy is pleased to announce the Democracy Commission Small Grants Program competition for FY 2024. The program supports initiatives that develop democratic institutions and support civil society capacity building in Armenia. Grants may support initiatives within the following thematic areas: Promotion of civil society and association building; Free flow of information (including support for independent media); Transparency in government; Rule of law and legal reform; Public education and advocacy (including civic education); Democratic political processes; Conflict resolution; Protection of human rights and promotion of tolerance; Anti-trafficking and anti-corruption; Ethnic minority, LGBTQ+, and gender equality; and Women’s empowerment. 

However, the priority program objectives for 2024 are:

·        Protection of human rights, including the social inclusion, community integration, and advancement of human rights of displaced persons from Nagorno-Karabakh;

·        Support for initiatives that advance, diversity, equity and inclusion, including support for ethnic minorities and marginalized communities (i.e. disability community, or LGBTQ+), women’s empowerment, and gender equity;

·        Free flow of information, including support for independent media;

·        Democratic political processes.

All projects should explain how the proposed activities impact Armenia’s democratic development and further the long-term goals of the organization. Project proposals should describe specific objectives and expected outcomes. Proposals focused primarily on training or capacity building will not be considered unless the training will lead to concrete, measurable outcomes.  Collaborative projects between partnering NGOs are strongly encouraged.

Participants and Audiences:

Proposals that include youth as a key audience will be given priority. This could include empowerment of youth through capacity building projects to promote civic participation, community engagement, and to strengthen youth-led networks and initiatives. Please be specific when mentioning the target audience(s) of your proposed project, including demographic information and the approximate number of beneficiaries to be directly and indirectly impacted by project activities.

Please download the full NOFO for more information.