Women’s Economic Empowerment in Azerbaijan

Call for Project Proposals

In response to the gender-based challenges in Azerbaijan, the Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation (BST) is launching a new call for proposals that aims to contribute to the promotion of women’s social and economic empowerment and rights.

This call is part of the Law, Rights, and Awareness Program run by BST and funded by USAID Azerbaijan. The program aims to support broad human rights awareness and activism by providing small grants to local organizations in Azerbaijan.

Eligibility

Projects should be initiated by civil society organizations1  established in Azerbaijan, including women’s rights NGOs and initiative groups. Project proposals should limit their geographic scope to Azerbaijan. The involvement of local partners—such as media, local authorities, general practitioners, minority communities, and youth—is encouraged. Special attention will be given to proposals that address challenges in communities outside of large urban centers.

Priority will be given to projects that support:

  1. Women, particularly poor and socially excluded, including CTIP2  and GBV3  victims, to obtain skills and opportunities to improve their livelihoods;
  2. Women-owned social enterprises;
  3. Advocacy and other efforts aiming at removal legal and social barriers for women's economic participation.
Budget and Duration

An award ceiling of $24,999 may only be exceeded by exceptional projects. Proposals under $5,000 will not be taken into consideration. Management costs (excluding experts) and administrative costs are cumulatively limited to 30% of the overall award. The maximum project duration is 12 months.

Application Process

Proposals will be received on an ongoing basis; the first deadline is March 31, 2022.  Successful applicants should expect project implementation to start in May 2022 at the earliest.

To submit a project proposal, eligible organizations must fill in the following forms, in English only:

Only proposals submitted using these forms will be taken into consideration.

Project proposals must be sent to [email protected] with the subject line GenDev AZ application.

For more information on this call for proposals, please use the e-mail address above with the subject line GenDev AZ info. To learn more about BST’s ongoing grantmaking program, please visit www.gmfus.org/bst-grantmaking.

Please note that BST project applications are received on an ongoing basis. Specific calls such as this one represent additional efforts to address specific issues CSOs are facing.

  • 1NGOs, initiative groups, individuals, and social businesses. State registration is not required.
  • 2Combating Trafficking in Persons.
  • 3Gender-Based Violence.