The USAID Transparency and Inclusive Growth Activity (TIGA) ( the “Activity”), implemented by Nathan Associates, is a four-year program that works to achieve concrete and meaningful advances in transparency and inclusive growth in Myanmar that will reduce inequality, promote a more market-oriented and diversified economy, and mitigate the economic drivers of conflict, in all cases aiming for improvements for people throughout the country.

TIGA will support local champions that can advance key economic reforms, institutional innovations and build capacities that generate inclusive growth to reduce economic drivers of conflicts and inequality. This will include reducing poverty generally and expanding more specifically the potential economic benefits from lessened conflict among the wide range of ethnicled administrative areas/groups, the Union government, and the military.

TIGA focuses on three intervention areas:

• Economic Reforms -- Advancing economic reforms and building capacities for government and non-government to implement those reforms effectively;
• Natural Resource Management -- Improving the management of natural resources and the sharing of resources between the Union and subnational areas; and,
• Infrastructure -- Developing processes for more transparent and productive infrastructure decision making.

The proposed Small Grant Award activity should aim to achieve one or more of the following objectives:

• Increase capacities for evidence-based policy analysis, dialogue and advocacy, targeting civil society organizations, policy research and “think-tank” institutions, private-sector associations, and other relevant groups and stakeholders. Particular emphasis should center on economic reform initiatives that reduce inequality and mitigate economic causes of conflict, which may include the following: trade and investment, agricultural development, natural resources management, infrastructure planning and development, financial market development, energy and electricity as well as capacities and issues determined to be most relevant for promoting positive approaches to reducing conflict in conflict areas, making policy dialogue and stakeholder engagement in general more conflict and gender sensitive, and improving conditions for women-owned and ethnic-owned businesses.
• Expand access to finance service to micro and small enterprises, with specific attention to remote, underserved, and/or conflict-affected areas that reflect unique needs and demands, that promotes mobilization of savings, that improves financial and digital literacy.

Funding Information

• Total funds provided under this APS will not exceed US$700,000.
• The duration of an award under this APS may be up to 12 months (one year) from the date of the award.

Eligibility Criteria

• To be eligible for a Small Grant Award, Applicants must be from Myanmar or a U.S.-based organization with active operations in Myanmar. Grants are also open to international, non-U.S. organizations but with the additional requirement that the organization must be registered to work in Myanmar and a binding commitment that at least 80 percent of the grant funds are spent in Myanmar. Illustrative types of entities eligible for an award, among others, include the following:
  • CSOs and NGOs (not-for-profit and for-profit);
  • Industry/sector, trade, or other private sector associations;
  • Policy institutes and think tanks;
  • Networks or Alliances;
  • Sub-national coordination units;
  • Conflict-related/ethnic-related/gender-related organizations;
  • Committees or working groups with a specific topic or issue-based missions; and
  • Financial institutions.

For more information, visit Myanmar Information Management Unit.