Embassy of the United States Minsk Belarus

The goal of the Small Grants Program is to support civil society development in Belarus.

The program is interested in projects promoting:

• Civic dialogue
• Public advocacy
• Social development and the strengthening of local communities
• Local self-government
• Gender equality
• Market reforms
• Integration of underserviced groups of the population
• Preservation of cultural and natural heritage including environmental and post-Chernobyl issues.

Proposals that reach the broadest number of users, involve networking with other organizations and/or cooperation with local governmental agencies or business entities, and which include funding from other sources will have a strong advantage.

Competition is open to registered Belarusian non-governmental non-profit organizations.

Focus / Priorities

The Small Grants Program only funds proposals that contain accurate and well-developed implementation plans and clear explanations of how the project goals will be achieved, where those goals address the Program's themes and priorities.

The Program prefers supporting complete projects instead of individual activities such as one-time conferences, publications, or round tables. A complete project involves a sequence of coherent events, logically interwoven and linked in time, designed to achieve specific goals within a particular time frame, focusing on target audiences, and leading to concrete and measurable results that will directly benefit the local community.  The time frame for the project should be appropriate to the project activities and should not exceed 12 months. The project proposals should be submitted on the standardized application form and be modest in size (up to 6 pages in Times New Roman font 12). The maximum amount of the grant is $24,000.

Proposals will be evaluated on the following criteria:

• Potential to contribute to the development of priority areas
• Feasibility and financial soundness of the proposal
• Past experience in successfully organizing and completing planned activities
• Past experience working with other donor organizations
• Contribution of applicant organization (cost-sharing).

Guidelines

Grant activities may not violate Belarusian legislation.

American or third-country organizations and individuals are not eligible for grants under this program.

Grants may not be used for partisan/political activity.

Grants are normally made on a one-time basis.  Duplicative projects will not be supported.

Administrative expenses should be linked to specific grant activities, not fixed overhead costs.

U.S. Embassy Small Grants Program funds should not be used to pay for international travel.

Grant proposals pertaining to the publication of materials should describe the intended audience, content and how materials will be distributed.

Applications involving the organizations of conferences/workshops should describe the expected audience, content, timeframe and anticipated results.

All grant proposals should include the resumes of major participants of the project.

Proposals should be in English and Belarusian (or Russian).

Commonly Asked Questions

Who can apply? Belarusian registered NGOs.  Applications from governmental, international or political party organizations will not be considered. Projects can only be submitted by organizations and not by individuals.

How do I apply? Application form can be found here (PDF, 257 KB).
Hard copies are available at our office located in Minsk at Gertsena Street 2A.

When is the application deadline? Applications are accepted at all times throughout the year.

How long will the process take? Turnaround time may vary but normally takes about 3 months.

What do I do if there are questions about the application process?  Contact our office directly at the following telephone number:  (017) 211-0567.  Staff will assist you with any specific questions.

In what currency should the budget be?
The budget should be prepared in USD and all costs must be itemized.

What is the maximum period of the grant?
One year. The implementation of the project starts on the date of grant registration at the Department for Humanitarian Activities.

Contact Information
Address:
Public Affairs Section
U.S. Embassy, Minsk
Gertsena Street 2A
Minsk, Belarus 220030

Phone
(017) 211-05-67; 217-04-81

Fax
(017) 211-0384

E-mail
DFSGP@usembassy.minsk.by

Website
http://minsk.usembassy.gov