Implementation and Management of the U.S. Alumni Network of Tajikistan (USANT)
A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION The U.S. Embassy Dushanbe announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out a program to provide logistical management of a network of alumni of U.S. government (USG) programs and implement the Democracy Outreach Alumni Grant Program in Tajikistan. Please follow all instructions below. Priority Region: Tajikistan Program Background: The U.S. Alumni Network in Tajikistan (USANT) is a program funded by the U.S. Embassy Public Diplomacy Section in Dushanbe to provide logistical management of a network of alumni of U.S. government (USG) programs in Tajikistan. USANT was created in 2019 with the goal of supporting and strengthening the USG alumni community to build upon the shared intellectual, social, cultural, and democratic values of the people of Tajikistan and the United States. The most significant result of the USANT project to date is creating a community among U.S. government exchange program alumni across all four regions of Tajikistan. Alumni have demonstrated high interest and desire to be part of the USANT community and actively participate in network activities. USANT's accomplishments over the last four years: · Established a national organization with eight elected board members, created an active online platform, and established four regional chapters throughout Tajikistan. · Conducted annual regional USANT conferences in each of the four chapters. · Conducted community-based initiatives, professional trainings, webinars, and mentorship programs. · Issued 44 USANT alumni mini grants and 16 Democracy Outreach Alumni Grants. PDS will develop a project handover protocol in cooperation with the current implementer and any new implementer to insure a smooth and transparent transition process. Program Goal: Implement and manage a network of alumni from U.S. government exchange programs to empower them to use their learned knowledge, skills, and perspectives to educate others and affect positive change in their communities. Program Objectives: The objectives of the USANT program are to: 1. Increase engagement and communication between over 5,000 U.S. government exchange program alumni through a network. 2. Build career and leadership skills of alumni and their colleagues through professional development opportunities. 3. Sustain continued interaction and communication between the U.S. Embassy and alumni. 4. Increase the number of alumni-led projects focusing on sharing skills and knowledge gained during exchange programs. 5. Recruit and partner with new and diverse alumni audiences to develop programs that support democratic values and economic reforms in Tajikistan. This funding opportunity seeks to provide continued logistical management of USANT to encourage networking among alumni and their colleagues and implement the Democracy Outreach Alumni Grant Program in fields that promote democratic values and economic reform in Tajikistan. Participants and Audiences: · The primary beneficiaries are alumni of U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs from across Tajikistan. Alumni from all ages and level of expertise, who are highly motivated to create positive change in their communities. · The sub-beneficiaries: Community leaders, youth, entrepreneurs, English teachers, women and girls, educators. Expected Activities to be managed by the implementing partner: · Alumni Network of Tajikistan (USANT) - $64,000 Continue to direct and manage a supportive network of alumni of U.S. government programs who will lead and participate in various training, educational, networking, and professional development activities throughout the year. · Regional Alumni Conferences, Trainings/Workshops -$16,000 Host conferences and collaborative workshops where alumni of U.S. government exchange programs can learn from each other, learn new skills, and learn ways to collaborate to increase the impact of their initiatives. · Democracy Outreach Alumni Small Grants - $120,000 Through the Democracy Outreach Alumni Small Grants program, USANT will support the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe in the implementation of alumni initiatives that promote shared values and innovative solutions to global challenges. USANT will award a series of small grants to alumni, as well as partner with them to develop and carry out center programming. These opportunities will build capacity of alumni to both manage small grants and implement a successful project, both important professional and life skills. The intended long-term impact of the program is to encourage U.S. government alumni to take the initiative to strengthen local communities, foster positive relationships between the United States and Tajikistan, and promote mutual understanding of the core values promoted by U.S. government exchange programs, such as volunteerism, grassroots capacity building, and cooperation. The primary objectives of the Democracy Outreach Alumni Small Grants program are to: 1. Strengthen civil society organizations' capacity through facilitating connections, relationships, and opportunities to collaborate. 2. Strengthen local communities and the overall development of Tajikistan. 3. Foster positive relationships between the people of the United States and Tajikistan. 4. Promote American values such as volunteerism, community activism, tolerance, advocacy for vulnerable groups, and critical thinking. 5. Strengthen the capacity of USG Alumni to use their exchange experience to address current challenges and issues in Tajikistan. 6. Enhance connections between alumni of the various U.S. Government sponsored exchange programs in Tajikistan. USANT will disburse up to $120,000 in small grant awards over the course of the grant period. The small grant awards program will be administered in two rounds, in Fall 2023 and in Spring 2024 with calls for applications announced in September 2023 and March 2024. The amount of grants must not exceed $5,000 for organizations and $3,000 for individuals. The U.S. Embassy is not setting a strict upper limit on grant amounts but advises that grants of $3,000 for individuals and $5,000 for organizations should be viewed as a rule-of-thumb limit.
STI400-23-PDS-AW-0002 Department of State US Embassy Dushanbe
6/30/23 4/25/23 Democracy Commission Small Grants Program
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)
PAS-DUSH-STI40022GR0000 Department of State US Embassy Dushanbe
2/20/22 1/7/22 Democracy Commission Small Grants Program
Topic 1: 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: 1. Raise the quality and quantity of visual content created by amateur journalists and bloggers in order to expand their audience with attractive content; 2. 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; 3. Increase professionalism of social media influencers on topics of public interest and inspire them to post more on such subjects. Topic 2: 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: 1. Increase the number of people receiving messages of tolerance and non-violence from respected and popular figures in society through social and traditional media; 2. 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; 3. Increase the amount of visual content in the Tajiki language focused on combatting violent extremism that can be easily shared on social media platforms; 4. Increase awareness of the consequences of violent extremism through sharing real stories of victims and survivors. Topic 3: Human Rights and Democratic Inclusion Project Goal: To increase acceptance and inclusion of all members of society, in particular those from underrepresented communities, and to reduce discrimination against such groups. Project Audience(s): The primary target audience for these projects should be young men and women in living in major population centers of Tajikistan, who have a university education or are current university students, who tend to be more open-minded in their views. Project Objectives: Each project should achieve 1-2 of the following objectives: 1. Increase public awareness of the challenges faced by members of these marginalized groups; 2. Provide networks of support for individuals from these groups facing harassment, stigmatization, and violence; 3. Highlight examples of positive actions by members of these groups and their allies in society on social media and in traditional media when possible.
STI400-21-XX-XXX-TBD Department of State US Embassy Dushanbe
5/25/21 4/28/21 Increasing Financial Integrity and Strengthening Financial Stability and Inclusion in Tajikistan
The U.S Embassy in Dushanbe, Tajikistan announces a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to help the National Bank of Tajikistan (NBT) continue strengthening its financial oversight of anti-money laundering and combatting the finance of terrorism (AML/CFT) transactions. The program also aims to provide the NBT with the basic monetary tools it needs to promote economic growth and stability. Additionally, this project supports the NBT goal of reestablishing correspondent banking relationship with U.S. and European banks and diversifying Tajikistan's financial sector towards Western markets. A grant for up to $987,750 U.S. Dollars in FY 2019 Assistance for Europe, Eurasia, and Central Asia (AEECA). The period of performance will be 24 months. Funding authority rests in the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended.
STI40020GR0025 Department of State US Embassy Dushanbe
7/10/20 5/12/20