The US-Russia Social Expertise Exchange (SEE) Partnership Projects Competition 2021 ($50,000 in funding)

Application Deadline: March 31, 2021.

The US-Russia Social Expertise Exchange (SEE) is pleased to announce the launch of its 2021 project competition. Teams composed of at least one US and Russian non-governmental organization are invited to propose innovative bilateral initiatives that will benefit both countries and address a common social issue in one of the thematic areas identified below. Project partners must directly engage with communities in both countries to tackle a pressing social challenge and demonstrate how their collaboration resulted in a specific and measurable impact at the end of the project period.

Project teams are expected to be more than a collection of individuals working in parallel. Instead, they should foster dynamic collaboration in which project team members from both countries are exposed to the diverse aspects of each other’s professional expertise and work together toward shared goals.

Projects should provide US and Russian partners the opportunity to work collectively through a complex problem and produce meaningful deliverables. Products may take several forms, including bilingual training curricula, community toolkits, published guides and articles, curated exhibitions, instructional video lessons and webinars, documentary videos, community services and strategic solutions for community needs.

Thematic Areas

1. Arctic and environmental conservation
2. Indigenous peoples’ empowerment
3. Disability and inclusion
4. Public health (including public health education and intervention strategies to support vulnerable groups)
5. Open Thematic Area (OTA)

Open Thematic Area

In addition to the four thematic areas, project teams may propose a project under OTA. Projects must meet all SEE eligibility requirements and must not address political issues or suggest political reforms. Proposals submitted under OTA should explore new topics beyond the aforementioned thematic areas. Partnership teams cannot apply to both OTA and one of the thematic areas identified above.

Eligibility

Projects must meet the following criteria to be eligible:

• Projects must address one or more of SEE’s five thematic areas (Arctic and environmental conservation, Indigenous peoples’ empowerment, Disability and inclusion, Public health, or Open Thematic Area).
• Projects must include one U.S.-based partner and one Russia-based partner as implementing organizations. Lead partners may also include other organizations/individuals as additional implementers to assist with project activities as necessary.
• Project applications must be submitted by the U.S.-based partner on behalf of the partnership. EF will only disburse funds to the U.S. lead organization to manage on behalf of the partnership.
• Projects must achieve clear and measurable impact with equal or near-equal benefit to both the U.S. and Russia.
• Projects must impact at least 250 direct beneficiaries* in each country (500 total).
• Projects may not engage in political activism, public policy reform, or the influence of public opinion.
• Russian federal, regional, state, and local government bodies; government-funded social institutions (e.g. orphanages, nature preserves); as well as federal academic and research institutions are not eligible to serve as project partners (except for student groups, which may do so).
• While partnerships that previously received EF funding are eligible to apply, preference will be given to projects submitted on behalf of new partner organizations. If one of the applying organizations have previously received EF partnership project funding but is now applying with a different partner, this partnership would be eligible to apply.

Official Website: SEE Partnership Projects Competition 2021