Dushanbe, Tajikistan, November 8, 2021 – The U.S. Embassy is pleased to announce a competition among professional and amateur musicians in Tajikistan to cover American songs under the project “Tajik-American Battle of the Bands.” The U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Section (PAS) in Dushanbe is soliciting Proposals for cooperative agreements from Tajikistan’s non-governmental and non-commercial organizations to implement the project from December 2021 to April 2022.
The Embassy is seeking an implementing partner to:
- Organize a competition among musicians to learn a set of 8-10 American songs by an American musical group or artist that is popular in the United States but is relatively unknown in Tajikistan. Song lyrics should not contain profanities and should have a positive message. The Embassy and the grantee will jointly decide upon the artists and songs to include.
- Fund and facilitate the professional recording of the band’s songs at a studio in Tajikistan
- Fund and facilitate the recording of one music video per contestant
- Broadcast the music and videos of participating artists online and through radio, and educate listeners and viewers about the American artists and how they reflect the history of the United States during the time they were active
- Provide the recorded songs free of charge to the public online without copyright restrictions or royalty fees for use
- Organize at least one live concert for all or some of the contestants
- Broadcast the recorded songs and music videos online and through traditional media such as radio and television
- Organize a competition for fans to vote on their favorite bands and songs
- Organize a tour for the winning musicians around the major cities of Tajikistan
- Provide a prize to the winning band in the form of new musical equipment
The project seeks to: 1. Increase knowledge of American music and notoriety of the participating musicians through campaigns, videos, performances, and recordings shared online and through traditional media such as radio and television; 2. Increase performances of American music in Tajikistan by organizing a tour for the winning musicians around selected cities; and 3. Increase the affinity for American music and culture among participants in the contest and their audiences online and in-person.
Proposals must be received by December 16, 2021 at GrantProposalsDushanbe@state.gov and not exceed 12 pages. The Embassy urges prospective bidders to carefully read the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for additional details about the project.
Forms and templates:
SF424 Form (PDF 163KB)
SF424A Budget Form (PDF 1,518KB)
SF424B Form (PDF 70KB)
Applicant Organization Survey Form (Word 45KB)
Proposal Template (Word 43KB)
ME PMP Template (word 43KB)
M&E Performance Monitoring Plan Instructions (Word 46KB)
Budget Proposal (Excel 83KB)
