DUSHANBE, January 8, 2016, Asia-Plus -- The U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe announces a request for proposals under the 2016 Democracy Commission Small Grants Program.

The purpose of the program is to award small grants for specific projects that support the development of democratic institutions in Tajikistan. Primarily, grants will be awarded to non-governmental, non-profit organizations (NGOs).

The amount of a grant must not be more than $50,000 (USD), but the Commission will give priority to applications that implement similar projects with lower budgets.  To be eligible for consideration, every applicant must be engaged in or carry out a project the purpose of which is to promote the development of democratic institutions in Tajikistan. The Democracy Commission Small Grants Program has existed in Tajikistan since 2001.

The Embassy will accept proposals for consideration by the Democracy Commission Small Grants Program on the following themes: building community resilience (deadline: February 19, 2016); empowerment of vulnerable communities (deadline: February 26, 2016); support for the free-flow of information (deadline: March 4, 2016; and migrant labor (deadline: March 11, 2016). 

Proposals should contain clearly formulated goals and target groups, and show the ability of the applying organization to carry out the project.