The Public Affairs Section (PAS) of U.S. Embassy in the Kyrgyz Republic is pleased to announce the call for proposals for the 2020 Book Translation Program. PAS is soliciting proposals from publishing houses, academic institutions and non-governmental organizations to publish books by American authors and/or books reflecting U.S. values, translated into the Kyrgyz language or jointly into Kyrgyz and English languages. The program provides funding for the copyright acquisition (if required), translation, printing, and distribution of the title, along with follow-up programming. PAS expects to fund three to four awards, pending the availability of funds, with an average award amount of $20,000 per title. The minimum print run is 3,000 copies. Books will be distributed by the grantee, U.S. Embassy, and partners to educational institutions, public libraries and American Spaces throughout the Kyrgyz Republic. The Book Translation Program will fund awards on a competitive basis conducted by panel review.
FY2020 proposals may include fiction or non-fiction titles and must focus on one or more of the following themes:
- STEAM: Includes any combination of science, technology, engineering, art and math.
- Environmental Conservation: Primarily focused on raising awareness of the need to protect the environment, and how to accomplish that.
- Business Empowerment and Social entrepreneurship: Includes economic independence, business empowerment, and sustainable development, ideally targeted towards marginalized groups, underrepresented groups, and vulnerable populations to improve the business climate.
Target audience: Primarily Kyrgyz language speaking youth aged 0-18
A complete application package must be submitted in English to include:
- Completed application form
- Completed budget (using the template provided)
- A copy of the applicant organization’s legal registration
- CV (resume) of the project coordinator
Application packages must be submitted electronically to BishkekProjectProposals@state.gov by 17:00, June 1, 2020. All proposals must include a two-year timeline for the project to allow for lengthy copyright negotiations.
For more information, please contact Public Affairs Section by e-mail: BishkekProjectProposals@state.gov with the subject line “2020 Book Translation Program.”
Applicants are encouraged to check the list of previously translated titles. Applicants may not propose titles already included in this list. The Selection Panel will review all submitted proposals according to the below selection criteria. All applicants will be notified of their selection status within six weeks of the application deadline.
Selection Criteria (total 100 points):
- The project proposal demonstrates that the organization has sufficient expertise, skills, and human resources to implement the project. The organization must have a staff member with working level English skills negotiate the copyright acquisition process and liaise with the U.S. copyright owner. (10 points)
- The organization demonstrates that it has a clear understanding of the target audience and the relevance of the title to Kyrgyzstan. (30 points)
- The title clearly supports one or more priority themes (20 points)
- The organization has a clear plan follow-up for distribution and programing, including a book launch. (20 points)
- The project’s budget is well organized, detailed, and reasonable. (20 points)
