The Eurasia Foundation of Central Asia (EFCA) was created in 2005 to better meet the needs of Eurasia Foundation’s local partners in Central Asia and to devolve management responsibilities to local staff. Based in Almaty, Bishkek, Dushanbe and Osh, EFCA staff manage a broad portfolio of programs, developing local organizations via technical assistance and grants. Eurasia Foundation (EF) and EFCA have invested more than $40 million in Central Asia to support local initiatives in community development, private enterprise, education and public administration.

A public-private partnership, EFCA is governed by an international board of trustees and is supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), as well as governments, foundations, corporations, intergovernmental organizations, universities and individuals.

Continuing the work of EF, which has been active in the region since 1993, EFCA staff have extensive experience in project design, implementation and oversight. EFCA develops sustainable local institutions by assessing local needs and identifying motivated civic actors, mobilizing resources among public and private stakeholders and providing intensive capacity-building training to partner organizations. EFCA partner organizations include community non-profit organizations, associations, universities and research institutions, among others. EFCA works closely with national, regional and local governments in all of the countries where it operates.

Mobilizing Resources

EFCA mobilizes resources for its programs among public and private stakeholders by:

• Designing and managing major corporate programs and other donor initiatives
• Promoting discussion and dissemination of corporate social responsibility (CSR) concepts and best practices
• Engaging additional donors, technical experts and governments to maximize program impact

Strengthening Communities

To strengthen local communities, EFCA builds the institutional capacity of partner organizations by:

• Training staff in financial and project management
• Consulting staff in project design and implementation
• Providing resource mobilization training to partner organizations, to help them become more sustainable
• Providing self-evaluation training
• Helping establish and train boards of trustees

Citizen Participation

EFCA believes that citizens can and should take more responsibility for their wellbeing. To do this it:

• Trains organizations and individuals to better represent their interests
• Supports engagement between the government, business and non-profit sectors
• Builds organizations’ capacity to carry out projects
• Promotes transparency and adherence to local laws in itself and its partners

Increasing impact - EFCA’s monitoring and evaluation

EFCA projects start with an assessment of local needs, carried out by EFCA staff, partner organizations or research firms.

Projects are built around logic models, in which a clear link is established between the project’s goals, activities and products. Using the logic model, EFCA can then determine if the results in fact contribute to the goal, or if the project design needs to change.

EFCA strives to set clear, measurable results, and to monitor and evaluate them. The findings are then used to make adjustments to activities and to plan future projects.

EFCA staff receive continuous training in monitoring and evaluation. They work closely with grantees to help them design and evaluate projects, and in doing so help the grant recipients reach a higher level of professionalism.