The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is seeking applications for a Cooperative Agreement from qualified entities to implement the Kazakhstan Human Rights activity.

Goal: The overarching goal of this activity is to support the conditions and space for improved human rights in which civil society more effectively represents citizen voices and engages the government, while key government institutions are more effective in their mandate and responsive to citizen needs.

Objectives

Objective 1 - Civil society more effectively represents the interests of citizens, mobilizes coalitions to address human rights challenges, and advocates for reform. 

• Number of civil society reform proposals incorporated systematically into national policies or legislation;
• Number of civil society networks actively engaged on human rights issues; 
• Number of human rights studies conducted to inform civil society platforms and policy reform efforts; 
• Percentage of citizens perceiving improvement in human rights environment; 
• Number of civil society organizations using social accountability tools and approaches; 
• Number of civil society organizations trained in policy analysis and advocacy; and,
• Number of civil society organizations using innovative tools to monitor government respect of human rights.

Objective 2 - The Government of Kazakhstan more effectively engages with civil society to improve human rights and is more accountable to citizens. 

• Number of multi-stakeholder policy forums held in which government institutions obtain input into required human rights reforms and/or best practices for scaling; 
• Number of constructive engagement mechanisms in which civil society informs government planning; 
• Number of government sectoral or topical plans informed by civil society input; 
• Number of actions taken by national, regional, or local governments in response to civil society demand; 
• Number of legislative or regulatory changes made to improve human rights or operating environment for civil society; 
• Percentage of citizens reporting improved government respect of human rights;
• Number of public interest fora held by the government; and,
• Number of government institutions with increased knowledge of international human rights law and best practices.

Funding Information

USAID intends to award one Cooperative Agreement pursuant to this notice of funding opportunity. Subject to funding availability and at the discretion of the Agency, USAID intends to provide $800,000 in total USAID funding over a four-year period.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility for this NOFO is restricted to local organizations.

Only local organizations as defined below are eligible for award. USAID defines a “local entity” as an individual, a corporation, a nonprofit organization, or another body of persons that: 

• Is legally organized under the laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan; and 
• Has as its principal place of business or operations in the Republic of Kazakhstan; and
• Is majority owned by individuals who are citizens or lawful permanent residents of the Republic of Kazakhstan; and 
• Is managed by a governing body the majority of who are citizens or lawful permanent residents of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.