Annual Program Statement for Public Diplomacy Programs (Public Diplomacy Grants Program)

Purpose of Public Diplomacy Grants: PDS Embassy Dushanbe invites proposals for programs that strengthen ties between the United States and Tajikistan in priority program areas (see below) in order to highlight shared values and promote bilateral cooperation. All proposed programs must include an American element, either through a connection with American expert/s, organization/s, or institutions/s, usage of American educational/informational resources, or any other activities that promote or contribute to increased mutual understanding between the people of the United States and people of Tajikistan. Competitive proposals will promote continued and sustainable cooperation between the people of the United States and Tajikistan even after the project concludes. Competitive proposals will include partnership with Tajik governmental bodies, and to organizations that have a demonstrated track record of implementing such programs. Examples of programs could include, but are not limited to: Academic or professional exchanges, lectures, seminars, trainings, speaker programs, or workshops; and Artistic, cultural, or sports workshops, masterclasses, joint performances, and/or exhibitions. PDS welcomes proposals that support one of the following priority program areas: TOPIC 1: Counter Gender-based Violence (GBV) Domestic violence (DV) and gender-based violence (GBV) remains a serious issue in Tajikistanand much of the world. In a USAID-funded survey in Tajikistan, 97% of men and 60% of women believed spousal abuse was justified. Cases of GBV and DV are underreported because victims wish to avoid humiliation, reprisal, or social stigmatization, or believe it may have been warranted. Further, authorities wishing to promote traditional gender roles frequently dismiss domestic violence as a family matter or only gave a warning or fine. Government resources for survivors are also limited. Project Audience(s) may include: Religiously or socially conservative communities, especially Tajik men (18-50 years old) High school students (14-18 years old.) Youth and emerging leaders (18-35 years old.) University teachers and students. Labor migrants and spouses of labor migrants. Tajik advocacy groups. Government bodies. Independent media including bloggers and vloggers Countering Gender-Based Violence Project Goal: Empower civil society and communities in Tajikistan to prevent and prosecute cases of Domestic Violence (DV) or Gender-Based Violence (GBV) through community-led initiatives. Project Objectives (may address one or more of the following): Messaging campaigns or awareness raising activities, such as sports diplomacy, should engage and target both men and women. Having men as the face of campaigns, or having men speak to men standing against GBV, demonstrates solidarity and emphasizes that eradicating gender-based violence is the collective responsibility of everyone, regardless of gender. Improve collaboration between civil society, independent media, and the government to identify and address gaps in existing laws and policies that criminalize GBV/DV, provide protections for victims, and establish legal frameworks for persecution. Raise awareness among vulnerable populations about laws, rights, and support services concerning early marriage, domestic abuse, harassment, divorce, alimony, and other civil rights. TOPIC 2: Promoting Womens Economic Empowerment and Entrepreneurship Due to the high rate of male labor migration and unemployment, more Tajik women are exploring ways to financially support their households and communities. However, women entrepreneurs' activities are highly dependent on the effectiveness of the business environment in the country. Moreover, the mountainous regions throughout the country challenge the development of entrepreneurship, as does lack of information, limited access to financing for starting a business, and other socio-economic conditions. Nevertheless, successful small business development creates new employment opportunities in Tajikistan and helps women support themselves and their families. Small businesses are fast becoming the main source of income for women in Tajikistan. Proposed projects should enhance womens participation, promotion, and longevity in the Tajik economy and ability to assume leadership positions. Projects should clearly support the protection of economic rights for women and increase respect for womens rights in society to improve their independence and proactive role in Tajik society. Project Audience(s) may include: Women from rural areas (including the spouses of labor migrants) and women entrepreneurs. Small businesses in rural areas. Business associations. Financial and government institutions. Tourism agencies (including guesthouse and small hotels). Community leaders and youth demonstrating leadership potential in these areas. Womens Economic Empowerment Project Goal: Increase the capacity of women from underserved, rural communities, including the spouses of labor migrants, to participate or increase their participation in the Tajik economy. Improve women's economic opportunities in Tajikistan by increasing the capacity of women to start, establish, or expand their own companies. Project Objectives (may address one or more of the following): Develop the business and technical skills of women in rural communities to increase employability, launch and/or improve their own businesses. Establish and conduct activities with a professional network for women from under-represented communities, including the spouses of labor migrants, to support mentorship relationships and collaborative initiatives among network members that go beyond the conclusion of project activities. o Projects could connect womens entrepreneurship in the development of tourism around newly recognized UNESCO heritage sites. o Increase awareness of tourism initiatives and employment opportunities centered around newly designated UNESCO heritage sites. o Projects could seek to increase participation of women from underserved and target communities in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Increase womens knowledge and understanding about their legal rights in society and how to advocate for the respect of those rights. o Increase womens knowledge and understanding about their legal rights in the workplace, including rights related to employment, equal pay, job security, and access to economic opportunities. o Equip Tajik women with the ability to advocate for the recognition and enforcement of these rights. Promote womens economic empowerment and entrepreneurship through support from start-up hubs, corporate social responsibility, and/or access to finance. Emphasis should be placed on strengthening chambers of commerce, entrepreneurs, and core private sector industries through interactions or linkages with U.S. counterparts. o Facilitate access to funding resources and financing opportunities for women entrepreneurs to launch and grow their businesses. o Strengthen organizational capacities of chambers of commerce to support business development of aspiring female entrepreneurs. o Facilitate interactions and linkages between women entrepreneurs, chambers of commerce, startup hubs, and private sector industries in Tajikistan and their U.S. counterparts. TOPIC 3: Sharing America with Tajikistan The United States values innovation, creativity, critical thinking, freedom of expression, democratic principles, economic growth, and security. The United States supports a sovereign and independent Tajikistan, which includes support for a well-informed, discerning public who can inoculate itself against disinformation. Both the United States and Tajikistan have rich cultural traditions as shown in literature and storytelling, theater and performing arts, film, music, dance, sport, and education. Educational, cultural, and other exchange activities are a great way to engage the public, especially at-risk youth and those with neutral views or misconceptions about the United States, in order to bridge our cultures, deepen understanding, and discuss topics of mutual importance. Proposed projects should strengthen understanding between the United States and Tajikistan and advance areas of mutual interest by leveraging the experiences and lessons learned from the United States, while respecting cultural differences. Project Audience(s) may include: Tajik audiences who have not had exposure to the United States before. Youth 16-35. Academia, professors, and teachers. Civil society, non-government organizations, and associations/organizations promoting shared values or areas of mutual interest. Information professionals (media outlets, managers, editors, journalists, influencers). Religious and community leaders. Entrepreneurs and business community advocacy organizations. National and subnational government officials. Project Goal: To share American values, such as freedom of expression, respect for human rights, and celebrate/promote respect for diversity and social inclusion, while also improving access to objective information and increase media literacy and critical thinking skills to analyze mis and disinformation aimed at the United States. Project Objectives (may address one or more of the following): Raise awareness about shared U.S.-Tajik values and partnerships through trainings, workshops, masterclasses, joint performances, or other projects by U.S. and/or Tajik experts. Increase access to American content by Tajik audiences (such as book translations) that promote U.S. democratic and rights-based values. Increase collaboration between local, state, and civil society actors/stakeholders on well-defined social issues affecting both the United States and Tajikistan by sharing U.S. models of government-community engagement, or by working with U.S. experts/peers. Increase the effectiveness of individuals, organizations, and coalitions working to advance and/or advocate for respect and the promotion of human rights. Strengthen the ability of Tajik media professionals to develop accurate and fact-based informational media campaigns through digital skills building and training initiatives based on U.S.-best practices. Increase production and publication of objective, fact-based and editorially diverse media content by Tajik media professionals. Increase critical thinking skills, especially for youth and publics with a neutral or view or misconceptions about the United States, to identify and critically analyze sources of misinformation and disinformation. In addition to the specific requirements listed above by program area, all proposals must: 1. Clearly indicate the primary activity area to which it is being submitted for consideration. 2. Focus on the key public diplomacy audiences and activities specified in the areas, provide programs for underserved geographic regions of Tajikistan, as well as non-elite schools (if applicable); 3. Clearly delineate how elements of their program will have a multiplier effect and be sustainable beyond the life of the grant; 4. Provide a traditional and/or social media plan for marketing program activities and outcome, if applicable 5. Identify the cities/districts in which activities will take place. 6. Identify specific outcomes to be achieved by the end of the grant period. 7. Identify any tools (surveys, beneficiary interviews, focus groups, etc.) that will be developed for Monitoring and Evaluation purposes. Applicants must also demonstrate competency to manage all financial aspects of the project, including participant costs and transparent arrangements of sub-grant relationships with partner organizations, if applicable.