Rule of Law Grant proposals are now being solicited under the U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID's) Central Asian Republics Rule of Law (CARROL) Project, as administered by the American Legal Consortium (ALC) on behalf of Chemonics International, Inc. The ALC seeks to assist the Central Asian Republics in establishing a political, legal and regulatory environment that supports democratic governance and respect for human rights. The Central Asian Republics include Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.

An essential component of the ALC's project is the Rule of Law (ROL) Small Grants Program, which is designed to support local nonprofit organizations (operating alone, or in partnership with a U.S. organization) working on programs that contribute to the sustainability of the Rule of Law in the region. Priority will be given to programs and activities that:

• strengthen core legal institutions and processes, as well as civil society as it relates to legal development;

• promote democratic legal reforms;

• support an orderly transition to a market-based economy;

• protect human rights; and

• promote democratic governance and limitations on the arbitrary exercise of governmental power.

Although support is not limited to any fixed categories of activities, the following are illustrative:

• Helping citizens understand and gain access to laws and legal information;

• Helping NGOs and civic organizations strengthen their rights and operate more effectively;

• Helping citizens organize to advocate changes in the legal system and promote public accountability of governmental agencies;

• Helping citizens protect their individual and property rights;

• Helping citizens utilize the legal system for the resolution or adjudication of conflict;

• Helping citizens monitor legal developments affecting human rights;

• Developing systems of private and quasi-public alternatives dispute resolution;

• Helping the public remove legal and regulatory constraints on private sector commercial activities and property ownership.

• private voluntary organizations (PVOs)

• non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and

• official public institutions involved in research and educational activities supportive of the Rule of Law.

Approximately $1.5 million is available under the Grants Program over the course of the Contract Period (through December 1996). It is not anticipated that the ALC will award any multi-year grants.

The proposed activities to be funded under the Grants Program may be the sole or primary work of an organization, or a special dimension or function of an organization largely dedicated to other types of work.

The grantee must contribute at least 25% of the total project budget from its own or other non-grant resources. This contribution may be met through cost- sharing (internal) or co-funding (external), or some combination of the two.

Until June 30, 1995, grant applications may be submitted at any time. Thereafter, applications will be solicited and grants awarded on a quarterly basis in accordance with a schedule that will be advertised and shared with all potential grantees that have inquired regarding the Grants Program.

For more information, contact:

Grants Manager
American Legal Consortium
187 Furmanova Street, 3rd Floor
480013 Almaty, Kazakhstan
Fax: 7-3272-507-662

or

CARROL Project
Chemonics International, Inc.
2000 M Street, N.W., Suite 200
Washington, D.C. 20036
Fax: (202) 955-3400

For more information or to order a subscription, see our publications page.

The URL for this page is: http://solar.rtd.utk.edu/~ccsi/csew/95-01/rolcenas.htm
Last updated: March 28 1996

Center for Civil Society International [email protected]