AFGP Priority Areas

Empowering Vulnerable Populations:

Grants in this sector seek to empower vulnerable populations such as persons with disabilities, widows, orphans, the elderly, religious and ethnic minorities, victims of violence including Gender-Based Violence (GBV), street children victim to drug/child/sexual abuse, displaced persons, and other vulnerable groups. Grant activities will include technical assistance for institutional strengthening of the grantees, advocacy, and communication.

Supporting Governance Institutions in KP-NMD:

Grant applications in this sector may be issued to consultancy firms located in KP-NMD and familiar with local context, and those with services available to identify institutional governance challenges associated with NMD or KP areas and propose innovative and sustainable solutions. Proposed solutions through grants should focus on supporting the establishment of government institutions, such as investing in inclusive and representative administrative and regulatory frameworks. Grants may also focus on building networks of community-based civil society organizations which support good governance, facilitating activities which will strengthen the local governance accountability systems. Grants may consider engaging institutions which have the capacity to solicit and respond to public input and building local government’s commitment to more transparency and accountability; as well as raise awareness and support civic participation in holding government to account and monitoring government commitments and efforts to increase transparency throughout KP and the NMDs. Grants supporting governance institutions in KP-NMD may also focus on:

• Improving access of remote and underserved areas to alternative and renewable energy solutions
• Parent-Teacher Associations in primary schools
• Justice System strengthening and civic advocacy

Engendering Free Information and Free Press Organizations:

Grant applications in this sector should improve engagement among civil society, media, and free press organizations to increase transparency and accountability in Pakistan. Grants may also focus on supporting more organized and effective use of rights and entitlements as envisaged by Pakistani laws, guaranteeing access to information as well as freedom of expression and speech to shape a more informed citizenry. Citizens’ active participation in oversight and monitoring mechanisms has the potential to not only prevent and curb corruption, but also prevent support (financial or otherwise) for extremist groups and criminal purposes. Grants should lead to a more informed citizenry, equipped with the right tools to constructively engage their government counterparts and better able to affect decision-making in order to positively influence their communities.

Expanding Social Tolerance to Reduce Conflict:

Grant applications in this sector should support community-based projects that prepare communities to reduce social inequality and enhance tolerance and inclusion of religious minorities and other marginalized groups. Grants may also focus on the alleviating gender gap in economic opportunity between Pakistani men and women, empower communities to build resilience and overcome local development challenges, and strengthen the inclusiveness of local communities.

Provide Technical Assistance:

Grant applications in this sector should be from local organizations that operate in any of the above points and seek to receive technical assistance for strengthening their internal functions. Technical assistance under this type of grant should be specifically to provide grantees with strengthening such as grant management, reporting practices, accounting systems, payroll operations, human resources functions, strategic planning and any other operational function in need of assistance. Technical assistance may also focus on registration procedures, compliance with federal regulations, or implementing an Organizational Capacity Assessment or similarly-modeled approach.