Grant Guidelines

The Central Eurasia Project uses grantmaking to international and regional NGOs, academic institutions, think tanks and other structures to help build local capacity, to bring international expertise to bear on the region, and to promote cooperation between local activists and international civic movements. The ultimate goal of such activity is to strengthen civic leaders in the region and construct support networks for them within international structures and movements.

The Central Eurasia Project's grantmaking generally dovetails with its research and advocacy agenda. While the project does not limit the amount that can be requested in a grant application, it encourages applicant organizations to demonstrate funding from other donors. Both single and multi-year proposals are accepted. Central Eurasia Project funds are available in the following programmatic areas:

• Human Rights
• Labor Migration
• Electricity and Hydropower Transparency
• Social and Economic Rights
• Uzbekistan
• Turkmenistan

Ineligible Activities

The Central Eurasia Project does not fund activities outside the above-mentioned programmatic areas or geographic scope. CEP only funds projects that are of a regional nature. With the exception of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, the Central Eurasia Project will not consider proposals for projects implemented in a single country and benefiting solely the population of that country. Such project proposals should be addressed to the Soros foundations in the respective countries.

No grants shall be used, directly or indirectly, to engage in partisan political activity such as the support of, or opposition to, political parties or individual candidates for elective office at any level of government.

The Central Eurasia Project is prohibited by United States law from funding any electioneering, including the support for or, opposition to, political candidates or parties in the United States or abroad, and from the earmarking of grant funds for lobbying activities. Lobbying is defined as an attempt to influence federal, state, local or non-U.S. legislative bodies, or the outcome of referenda and ballot initiatives. This proscription includes attempts to influence treaty ratification by legislative bodies.

The prohibition against lobbying includes, but may not necessarily be limited to, communications with legislators or legislative staff that express a view on pending legislation or specific legislative proposals, and communications with the general public reflecting a view on specific legislation or a specific legislative proposal where such communication includes a "call to take action" by the public.

Public education, analysis and research on social issues of broad public interest, including issues that are also the subject of pending legislation, may constitute an exception to the lobbying prohibition. Similarly, the production of non-partisan studies, analysis and research providing a full and fair exposition of the facts and arguments may not constitute lobbying. Responses to written requests for technical assistance made on behalf of a legislative body, committee or subcommittee may also not be lobbying even though the problems discussed may be the subject of pending legislation.

If you question whether your project includes lobbying, please contact us.

To Apply

If you believe that your project meets the above-mentioned criteria, the Central Eurasia Project invites you to submit a one-page letter of inquiry in English summarizing your organization's mission and the proposed project's statement of purpose, main activities and requested budget by January 18, 2010. Letters of inquiry may be submitted in Russian provided that they are accompanied by an English translation. When submitting your letter of inquiry by email, please put your organization name in the subject line.

Upon reception of your letter of inquiry, the Central Eurasia Project will consider your proposed project and will notify you by January 20, 2010 with an invitation to submit a full grant application should the project meet CEP criteria.  Full grant applications will be accepted in English or in Russian.  The deadline for submission of grant applications is February 3, 2010.  You will be notified of our funding decision by mid-April.   

Please send your letter of inquiry via email to cepgrants@sorosny.org or via mail to:

Open Society Institute
Central Eurasia Project
400 West 59th Street
New York, NY 10019
USA