Opportunity Information: Apply for DOS KAZ NS AEECA 21 001
The U.S. Embassy Small Grants Program 2021, offered by the U.S. Department of State (U.S. Mission to Kazakhstan), is a discretionary grant opportunity designed to support practical, targeted projects in Kazakhstan across three priority areas: countering trafficking in persons, improving air quality, and promoting renewable energy. The funding instrument is a grant, with an award ceiling of USD 50,000 and an expectation of around nine awards. The opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number DOS KAZ NS AEECA 21 001; CFDA 19.900) was announced March 9, 2021, with an original closing date of April 30, 2021. While eligibility is listed broadly as "others" (with additional eligibility details referenced in the full notice), the overall structure clearly emphasizes implementable initiatives with measurable outcomes, defined target audiences, and concrete reach numbers.
Under Topic 1, Countering Trafficking in Persons, the program responds to ongoing human trafficking risks in Kazakhstan, highlighted by Kazakhstan being placed on the Tier Two Watch List in the U.S. Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report for both 2019 and 2020. The call stresses that prevention and protection still need major reinforcement, particularly through better public awareness, stronger victim assistance, and improved safeguards for people most at risk. It also notes that earlier U.S. Mission projects concentrated on public awareness and specialized training for law enforcement and relevant government entities in several regions (including Aktobe, Atyrau, Turkestan, and Shymkent), and that the new funding aims to broaden and deepen prevention efforts rather than repeat the same narrow activities. The key gaps this topic wants applicants to address are: low awareness of trafficking risks among potential victims and even among some officials, weak access to legal services and protection mechanisms for survivors, and insufficient training among those positioned to prevent trafficking or identify victims. COVID-19 is treated as a compounding factor that increased vulnerability, especially for migrants, making it more urgent to reduce exploitation, expand support services, and help institutions improve policy implementation and capacity. The stated goal is to reduce trafficking in Kazakhstan by raising awareness among potential victims and strengthening the capacity of institutions and individuals who provide protection. Priority audiences include at-risk populations (specifically including labor migrants) and local and state government officials. Proposals can focus on one or more objectives, such as delivering legal-rights trainings that reach at least 100 current or potential labor migrants, building the knowledge of at least 25 government or law enforcement officials on trafficking legislation and victim identification and best practices, and creating a prevention program tailored to a specific at-risk group with clear identification of vulnerabilities.
Topic 2, Addressing Air Quality, focuses on air pollution as a serious health and economic issue, with particular urgency driven by major cities like Almaty and Nur-Sultan being described among the most polluted globally. The problem is framed as a mix of coal-based heating and vehicle emissions, with an important point that the relative contribution of each source is still not fully understood, implying a need for better evidence and clearer public communication. While longer-term solutions like moving to gas-fired power generation are mentioned, the program emphasizes that immediate, short-term actions are still needed to change behavior now, improve public understanding, and push adoption of cleaner day-to-day choices. Past U.S. Mission support in this area included investigative journalism, educational outreach, and documentary films, but the new call is aimed at expanding impact, especially beyond the two largest cities. The topic identifies three main barriers: weak understanding of pollution sources and health impacts and what people can do about them, limited development of academic and professional institutions focused on air quality, and limited availability of environmentally friendly alternatives (products and transportation) along with too few incentives encouraging people to switch. The overall goal is to improve air quality by increasing public understanding of causes and harms, while also making greener options more accessible and attractive. Target audiences include citizens aged 10 to 35, civil society activists and researchers, academics and institutions working on air quality, and journalists or opinion leaders able to amplify accurate messages. Proposed projects may pursue objectives such as reaching at least 5,000 young people (ages 10 to 35) outside of Almaty and Nur-Sultan with awareness activities and practical mitigation guidance, strengthening research and institutional capacity while producing policy and implementation frameworks for local and regional authorities, and running campaigns that educate and incentivize greener consumer choices or transportation options with at least 1,000 people reached.
Topic 3, Promoting Renewable Energy, is framed as a climate-driven, long-term priority intended to accelerate Kazakhstan's shift away from fossil fuels and toward sustainable energy. The call notes that in 2019 renewable energy accounted for only about 1 percent of Kazakhstan's energy production, and while progress has been made in the following years, the country still has substantial work ahead, including meeting commitments tied to the Paris Agreement. Unlike the other themes, the notice points out that the Mission has not recently funded projects specifically focused on renewable energy, making this topic an opening for newer programming that still aligns with broader U.S. priorities around sustainability and economic diversification (and complements the air quality focus). The challenges the program wants projects to tackle include low awareness about the damage caused by fossil fuel use, limited practical information about renewable options and availability, and underdeveloped academic and professional ecosystems focused on renewables. The program encourages applicants to leverage partnerships among local and national government actors and civil society stakeholders to build strategies that increase public understanding, strengthen research and professional training, and provide usable tools for policymakers. The stated goal is to promote renewable and sustainable energy use in Kazakhstan through increased awareness and research. The primary audiences include energy consumers in urban or rural settings, academics in energy-related fields, journalists covering renewable energy policy, and rural local government officials and policymakers. Objectives include reaching at least 5,000 citizens with an awareness campaign about renewable energy and sustainability, creating coordinated research guidelines among educational institutions to cultivate renewable energy professionals, and developing a resource map of Kazakhstan's renewable energy potential to help policymakers identify realistic pathways away from fossil fuel dependence.
Across all three topics, the program is clearly designed for results-oriented projects that combine outreach and capacity building with practical tools, training, and frameworks that others can continue using after the grant ends. The repeated emphasis on numeric reach targets (for migrants trained, officials trained, youth reached, and citizens engaged) signals that proposals are expected to define concrete activities, specify who will be reached, and demonstrate how the work will translate into stronger prevention, better institutional performance, or more informed public choices.Apply for DOS KAZ NS AEECA 21 001
- The Department of State, U.S. Mission to Kazakhstan in the other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "U.S. Embassy Small Grants Program 2021" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.900.
- This funding opportunity was created on Mar 09, 2021.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 30, 2021. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $50,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 9 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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U.S. Embassy Small Grants Program 2021 (Kazakhstan) - FAQs
1) What is the U.S. Embassy Small Grants Program 2021?
It is a discretionary grant opportunity offered by the U.S. Department of State through the U.S. Mission to Kazakhstan to support practical, targeted projects implemented in Kazakhstan.
2) Who is offering this funding?
The funding is offered by the U.S. Department of State (U.S. Mission to Kazakhstan).
3) What type of funding instrument is used?
The funding instrument is a grant.
4) What is the maximum award amount?
The award ceiling is USD 50,000.
5) How many awards are expected?
The opportunity indicates an expectation of around nine awards.
6) What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON) and CFDA number?
Funding Opportunity Number: DOS KAZ NS AEECA 21 001. CFDA: 19.900.
7) When was the opportunity announced and when did it close?
The opportunity was announced on March 9, 2021, with an original closing date of April 30, 2021.
8) Where must projects take place?
Projects are intended to be implemented in Kazakhstan.
9) What are the program priority areas (topics)?
The program supports projects in three priority areas: (1) countering trafficking in persons, (2) addressing air quality, and (3) promoting renewable energy.
10) What kind of projects does the program appear to prefer?
The program emphasizes results-oriented, implementable initiatives with measurable outcomes, clearly defined target audiences, and concrete reach numbers (for example, how many people will be trained or engaged).
11) Is eligibility restricted to a specific applicant type?
Eligibility is listed broadly as "others," with additional eligibility details referenced in the full notice.
12) What common elements are emphasized across all three topics?
Across topics, the opportunity repeatedly emphasizes outreach and capacity building paired with practical tools, trainings, and frameworks that can be used after the grant ends. It also highlights the importance of numeric targets for who will be reached and how the project will deliver tangible outcomes.
13) What is Topic 1: Countering Trafficking in Persons focused on?
Topic 1 focuses on reducing trafficking in Kazakhstan by raising awareness among potential victims and strengthening the capacity of institutions and individuals who provide protection.
14) Why is trafficking in persons highlighted as a priority?
The opportunity cites ongoing trafficking risks and references Kazakhstan being placed on the Tier Two Watch List in the U.S. Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report for both 2019 and 2020.
15) What gaps does Topic 1 want projects to address?
The call identifies key gaps including: low awareness of trafficking risks among potential victims and some officials; weak access to legal services and protection mechanisms for survivors; and insufficient training among those positioned to prevent trafficking or identify victims.
16) How does COVID-19 relate to Topic 1?
COVID-19 is described as a compounding factor that increased vulnerability, especially for migrants, which increases the urgency of efforts to reduce exploitation, expand support services, and improve institutional capacity and policy implementation.
17) Who are the priority audiences under Topic 1?
Priority audiences include at-risk populations (specifically including labor migrants) and local and state government officials.
18) What are examples of measurable objectives under Topic 1?
Examples include: delivering legal-rights trainings reaching at least 100 current or potential labor migrants; building the knowledge of at least 25 government or law enforcement officials on trafficking legislation, victim identification, and best practices; and creating a prevention program tailored to a specific at-risk group with clear identification of vulnerabilities.
19) Does the opportunity want applicants to repeat prior U.S. Mission trafficking activities?
The notice indicates that earlier U.S. Mission projects focused on public awareness and specialized training for law enforcement and relevant government entities in several regions (including Aktobe, Atyrau, Turkestan, and Shymkent), and states that new funding aims to broaden and deepen prevention efforts rather than repeat the same narrow activities.
20) What is Topic 2: Addressing Air Quality focused on?
Topic 2 aims to improve air quality by increasing public understanding of pollution causes and harms, while also making greener options more accessible and attractive.
21) What air quality challenges are described?
Air pollution is framed as a serious health and economic issue. Major cities like Almaty and Nur-Sultan are described as among the most polluted globally. Causes mentioned include coal-based heating and vehicle emissions, and the notice emphasizes that the relative contribution of each source is still not fully understood.
22) What kind of solutions does Topic 2 emphasize: short-term or long-term?
While longer-term solutions (such as moving to gas-fired power generation) are mentioned, the program emphasizes immediate, short-term actions to change behavior now, improve public understanding, and push adoption of cleaner everyday choices.
23) What barriers does Topic 2 identify?
Three barriers are highlighted: weak understanding of pollution sources, health impacts, and what people can do; limited development of academic and professional institutions focused on air quality; and limited availability of environmentally friendly alternatives (products and transportation) plus too few incentives to encourage people to switch.
24) Who are the target audiences for Topic 2?
Target audiences include citizens aged 10 to 35, civil society activists and researchers, academics and institutions working on air quality, and journalists or opinion leaders who can amplify accurate messages.
25) Is there a geographic emphasis within Topic 2?
Yes. The opportunity specifically notes an interest in expanding impact beyond Almaty and Nur-Sultan.
26) What are examples of measurable objectives under Topic 2?
Examples include: reaching at least 5,000 young people (ages 10 to 35) outside Almaty and Nur-Sultan with awareness activities and practical mitigation guidance; strengthening research and institutional capacity while producing policy and implementation frameworks for local and regional authorities; and running campaigns that educate and incentivize greener consumer choices or transportation options with at least 1,000 people reached.
27) What is Topic 3: Promoting Renewable Energy focused on?
Topic 3 focuses on promoting renewable and sustainable energy use in Kazakhstan through increased awareness and research, supporting a longer-term shift away from fossil fuels.
28) Why does the opportunity emphasize renewable energy?
The notice links renewable energy to climate-driven priorities and Kazakhstan's need to accelerate its shift away from fossil fuels, referencing that renewable energy accounted for about 1 percent of energy production in 2019 and noting the country has commitments tied to the Paris Agreement.
29) Does the notice mention prior U.S. Mission funding for renewable energy projects?
Yes. It notes that the Mission has not recently funded projects specifically focused on renewable energy, suggesting this topic is intended to open newer programming in this area.
30) What challenges does Topic 3 want projects to address?
The notice highlights challenges including low awareness of the damage caused by fossil fuel use, limited practical information about renewable options and availability, and underdeveloped academic and professional ecosystems focused on renewables.
31) Who are the target audiences for Topic 3?
Primary audiences include energy consumers in urban or rural settings, academics in energy-related fields, journalists covering renewable energy policy, and rural local government officials and policymakers.
32) What partnerships does Topic 3 encourage?
The opportunity encourages leveraging partnerships among local and national government actors and civil society stakeholders.
33) What are examples of measurable objectives under Topic 3?
Examples include: reaching at least 5,000 citizens with an awareness campaign about renewable energy and sustainability; creating coordinated research guidelines among educational institutions to cultivate renewable energy professionals; and developing a resource map of Kazakhstan's renewable energy potential to help policymakers identify realistic pathways away from fossil fuel dependence.
34) Do proposals need to include numeric reach targets?
Yes. The opportunity repeatedly emphasizes numeric reach targets (for example, migrants trained, officials trained, youth reached, and citizens engaged) and expects applicants to specify who will be reached and how many people will be engaged.
35) Can a proposal focus on more than one objective within a topic?
Yes. The notice indicates proposals can focus on one or more objectives within a topic.
36) What is the overall expectation for outcomes and sustainability?
The program is structured around measurable outcomes and encourages deliverables (tools, training, frameworks) that other organizations or institutions can continue using after the grant ends.
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