New Donor Strategies: Implications for NGOs in Post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan

Abstract

This article examines the changes that have taken place since the mid-2000s in the donor agenda in Kyrgyzstan, and what implications these changes have had for Kyrgyzstani NGOs. It uses two-stage longitudinal research. The findings reveal that donors changed their priorities after the mid-2000s by closing the civil society building programmes and grants they initiated in the 1990s. Donors now prioritize promoting NGOs in advocacy roles for policy reform. Interviewed NGOs reported that donor grants had decreased, aggravating the existing competition for donor funding among NGOs. This article suggests that as a result of these changes NGOs that are organizationally and professionally stronger are in a better position to obtain funding and, thus, continue their work. The research findings also indicate that some NGOs expanded their funding sources between 2008 and 2016.