The Civil Society Fund Program (CSFP) was created in 1983 to provide a way for the World Bank to promote dialogue and dissemination of information about development, and to enhance partnerships with the civil society. Grants are provided through participating World Bank Country Offices. World Bank Liaison Office in Turkmenistan has been administering the program since 2003.

Any institution involved in development broadly defined may apply for a grant. However, the CSFP prefers to support nonprofit, nongovernmental, nonacademic organizations. The CSFP provides grants in the range of $5,000 to $9,000 each, but the grants rarely fund more than half of the proposed budget for an activity, and therefore grantees are encouraged to use the CSFP grants to leverage additional contributions from other sources. Applications are accepted in the World Bank Liaison Office in Turkmenistan located in Ashgabat, application deadline is April 29, 2011.

The Civil Society Fund Program supports activities related to civic engagement for the empowerment of marginalized and vulnerable groups. Activities should:

• Promote dialogue and dissemination of information; and
• Enhance partnerships with key players in support of the development process. Key players could include government agencies, civil society organizations, multilateral and bilateral agencies, foundation, and private sector.

Civic engagement is the process through which civil society organizations actively engage in relationships and actions with the state and other development actors to address issues of public concern. World Bank believes that socially active and empowered citizens facilitate development processes in their countries.