U.S. Mission to Uzbekistan: Democracy Commission Small Grants Program

This program supports the development of Uzbekistan’s democratic institutions and civil society by competitively awarding small grants to Uzbekistan’s nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and associations, to nonprofit civil society organizations (CSOs), and to independent local media organizations.

Overall Program Goals: Increase the capacity of civil society organizations in Uzbekistan to respond to the country’s urgent social needs and increase citizen participation in governance through effective implementation of reforms and laws on civil society, government transparency and citizen oversight.

• Topic 1: Advancing Women’s Empowerment and Social Entrepreneurship
  • Project Audience(s): Potential entrepreneurs and current small-scale business owners (ages 25- 55); women, particularly in rural areas or from marginalized communities. For programs focused on combating gender-based violence and boosting women’s empowerment, audiences could include young men and boys, who could be trained to see the value in supporting women’s rights and the role of women in their communities.
  • Project goal: To strengthen women’s entrepreneurship and small business development by increasing knowledge and available tools that entrepreneurs and small business owners can use to make their businesses successful.
  • Project Objectives
    • Within 12 months:
      • Increase entrepreneurial and leadership skills for at least 50 potential and current women entrepreneurs in creative economy industries to increase their participation in local economy;
      • Increase technical skills (such as coding, data analysis, design thinking) of at least 20 young women from rural communities to improve access to IT professions (including web developer, network engineer, data scientist) through training, mentorship support and/or internships in local leading IT companies;
      • Improve and expand public-private sector networking and collaboration between local state agencies and women-owned businesses for a minimum of 30 people.
• Topic 2: Strengthening Disability Rights
  • Project Audience(s): People with disabilities and relevant stakeholders, community leaders, urban and rural NGOs, local and state government, independent media, journalists and other civil society organizations.
  • Project Goal: Increase the capacity of Uzbekistan’s civil society organizations and NGOs and the government to advocate for the country’s disability community.
  • Project Objectives
    • Within 12 months:
      • Increase public and local and state government awareness on the importance of the integration of persons with disabilities into society.
      • Strengthen project and grants management skills of NGOs working to advance disability rights through training, mentorship, and workshops. Topics may include: strategic design, public relations, organizational and financial sustainability, and more.
      • Increase cooperation between rural and urban civil society and local government on legislation to advance the integration of persons with disabilities.
• Topic 3: Empowering Citizen-led Initiatives to Improve Air Quality
  • Project Audience(s): Civil society researchers and organizations, media professionals and opinion leaders who can amplify key messages, entrepreneurs and industry practitioners, physicians and researchers who can contribute to health research, public officials.
  • Project Goal: Increase public support for actions to improve air quality in Uzbekistan through increased government-civil society discourse on this issue.
  • Project Objectives
  • Within 12 months:
  • Increase public understanding of the causes of poor air quality, long-term health implications associated with poor air quality, and public and private actions that can improve air quality.
  • Facilitate partnerships between civil society and the Government of Uzbekistan to develop and share practical solutions to improve air quality.
  • Cultivate skills specific to air pollution mitigation through training programs and educational opportunities for emerging professionals in environmental and health industries.

Funding Information

• Length of performance period: 5-12 months
• Number of awards anticipated: Up to 20 awards (Pending availability of funds)
• Award amounts: Awards may range from a minimum of $10,000 to a maximum of $50,000
• Total available funding: $500,000
• Anticipated program start date: October 2024

Eligibility Criteria

• The following organizations are eligible to apply:
  • Not-for-profit organizations
  • For-profit organizations
  • Civil society/non-governmental organizations
• Only Uzbekistan-based organizations are eligible to apply.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.